Not Conquering Mount Kenya

“What is extraordinary and eternal does not want to be bent by us...” Rilke

I'm due to go walking on Mount Kenya later this week. I set off from our home in Nairobi on Thursday and will be on the mountain for 5 days (going up Sirimon route and down Chogoria, for those of you who know).

My initial thought when the possibility emerged was positive but I went back and forth between being convinced to go for it to being certain I should stay in Nairobi. Several times. Each day. Every day for three weeks! 

In the end I decided to give it a go.  However, I've set myself a specific purpose. Surprisingly its not reaching the top of Mount Kenya though I would certainly like to achieve that.

Being defeated by what is extraordinary

As I've been thinking about the climb, I've been listening to people who have climbed. People say you have to have a positive attitude and imagine that you will reach the top. 

At the same time I've been struck by one image that goes around when thinking about climbing mountains - its seems we (men?) are quite drawn to the idea of conquering mountains. 

I'm sure that the notion of 'conquering' a mountain is a helpful motivation for some people but it strikes me that, at over 5000 meters, Mount Kenya is a pretty formidable thing.  I'm not convinced that I want to defeat this mountain or take any other sort of war-like attitude towards this massive thing. 

Even Edmund Hillary's famous quote about not conquering the mountain but ourselves still draws upon ideas of war and vanquish with all that this entails  - like a winner, collateral damage etc.

 

Some other ways of relating to more-than-human?

It seems that its quite easy to reach for images of war when it comes to relating to that which is neither human or man-made. Just like we want to defeat the Zika virus it seems we like the idea of going to war with mountains.

I want to explore some other 'images' of my relationship to the mountain.  I'm interested in seeing what happens if I don't use war-like images in preparation for and whilst I am walking.   

What happens if I think of my climb as being about 'befriending' rather than 'conquering'. How does my experience change if I'm focusing not upon simply getting to the top of the mountain but say 'dancing in tune' with it.  What happens to the 'success' of my climb if I hold less “hawkish” metaphors in my head than battle and defeat?  Will I be able to make the climb or will I 'fail'? 

Over to you

Perhaps, while you're chilling out at home or going to the supermarket, you could notice or spend a moment to reflect on how you relate to that which is neither human or man-made. Do you relate to it as if its a like a battle between two opposing sides? Or is there some other way of relating? Let me know what you come up with and then come back here to find out what happened with me.  

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Rainer Maria Rilke quote from The Man Watching, translated by Robert Bly in Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart

Tony, curry king of Crawley, makes a discrete rustle unpacking his italicised meal.
Like a lazy traitor, the cover, now removed, provides an inviting field.
A red-eyed seagull welcomes the spiced whiff with symphonic hoots of glee and warning.
Too late, King Tony tries to shut the bombastic gate.
His meal has bolted. But this everyday emperor smiles benignly.

An eclectic tribe gathers.
Like a clattering necklace they have come together 
Not as a purposeful line of defeated. 
Instead they want to rejoice.

He wraps up a viscous bloom of othering in cheap crinkly film from the local supermarket. Offering it to a supine population that dozes gentle in a bed of silence. 
A hesitating phoenix is boiled slowly to its own death
whilst browsing John Lewis catalogues and football scores online. 
Remove from basket. 

Neatly folded. All just order. And then the plan fails. Some saboteur hunts me down and I lay sprawling on the cold muddy earth. Why, that was my own mud that just tripped me up.

God creates coffee cups and music 
and creates the bubble of laughter escaping that woman's throat. 
Reach out with extended fingertips and look.

How to Make up Games

Many people I know love playing games but with Christmas coming up there's plenty of time for playing games. And rather than getting bored with the same old board, how about making some up yourself?

This post offers some of my thoughts on the principles that I have found useful when making up games. Its less of a recipe book, but more like some thoughts on what things might help cook up an exciting game. 

Starting off - rolling a 'double 6', or a 'double 4' or even a '5 and a 1'

The easiest way to make up a new game is by changing one you already know. You don’t have to reinvent the whole thing - just try doing something a bit different, like adding a new rule or changing the amount of time you get to do your go.

Cater for everyone

When making up games for groups to play, try to remember that people love variety and difference. Sometimes people like competing and other times they like working together. Sometimes they like sitting and other times running around. Invent games where you cater for different tastes in the same game.

A few rules go a long way

When making up games getting the rules right is important. If you have too many rules, people will get confused. Try to start with a few simple rules and get playing, rather than creating lots of complicated ones.

Learn to trust your inner genius

When it comes to inventing things and being creative, we each have our own particular genius inside of us – a kind of creative 'boffin' with wacky hair and odd socks. Try to listen to and love your inner boffin, as she is the character who will connect two random ideas to make a stunning and elegant new game.

Yes, and…

When making up games with friends, you all need to feel happy to share your ideas. Its not very helpful if someone stands there with arms folded, saying 'no' to everything (and that includes you).

So learn the habit of saying ‘yes’ to suggestions. If someone suggests something you don't think will work or aren't in the mood for, don't just say 'no'. Find a bit of the idea that you do like and then offer your own suggestion.

For example, if someone said lets play a game where we all have to wear blue hats and you don't like blue and don't have any hats, don't just say 'No, that's boring.' Instead, you could say ‘hmm. Yes, I like the idea of doing some dressing up and why don’t we just dress up in whatever we got and in whatever colour we like?’

Boredom – a great thing to be cultivated

To make up games, sometimes you need to get bored. Learn to sit around and do absolutely nothing, avoiding all distractions such as the TV, homework and picking your nose. Once you are well and truly bored, your whole body and mind will start buzzing with energy and ideas for new games to play.

Embrace failure like a soft teddy bear

If you are going to be good at making up creative games you have to learn to accept that sometimes things don’t work out like you imagined or planned. Mistakes are a part of making up games (and life). The trick is to be curious about what happens.

So get going and try something out.