The Tallest Mountain?

 

 

Everyone knows what the highest mountain in the world is.  Mt. Everest, stands 29,031 feet above sea level and is the peak that everyone wants to climb for bragging rights.  The next two highest mountains are K2 and Kangchenjunga -- both of which are actually more difficult to climb than Mt. Everest.

These peaks are amazing, the only three peaks on this planet that rise above 28,000 feet elevation.  Climbing them requires a high level of skill and for most humans, a good supply of oxygen.

There is some argument about what the highest mountain peak really is.  The reason for this is that some peaks have their bases far beneath the surface of the ocean.  By this measure, Mauna Kea, although its peak only rises 13,803 feet above sea level, has a higher rise from its base to its peak than Mt. Everest.  Mauna Kea has a difference in elevation from its base to its peak of 30,610 feet – significantly more than the distance that Mt. Everest lies above sea level.

I don’t suppose it matters much -- there are no trophies give to mountains for heights.  More than that, mountains aren’t living things and they do not really care which one of them is tallest.

It is different with people.  When we look at where someone is at today, we only see their position at this moment in time.  What we don’t see is the long journey behind them, the adversity they encountered along the way, and the times when, in the midst of the chaos of their childhood or teen years, they almost gave up.

Many people are more like Mauna Kea than Mt. Everest.  They had to climb thousands of feet just to get to sea level.  Far more important than someone’s current position and attainment is their trajectory.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, “Judge not that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1)  There are many reasons that we should not sit in judgment on others, but one of them is simply that unless we know a person's whole story, we cannot adequately assess who someone is and how far they have come.

For some of us start life at 18,000 feet elevation, while others begin their lives a mile below sea level.  The important questions really aren’t how tall you are, but rather, where have you come from and where are you heading.

For my money, Mauna Kea is more impressive than Mr. Everest, not because of its peak, but because of its roots.  The same is true of people.