“Climb Every Mountain”?

Throughout the world, there are countless outstanding women who have accomplished incredible things. Most have championed causes related to health, human trafficking, environmental protection, politics, animal rights, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and education, to mention a few.  Many have broken unimaginable barriers, risked/lost their lives, and been imprisoned or exiled, all so they could bring a much-needed change in their communities.

Most of these women, who are too many to list, share one thing in common: they are ordinary local citizens who’ve experienced or seen something wrong in their community, and decided to do something about it. They typically do not have many resources and often lack meaningful support.  Even when their spirits are almost broken, they press on because they know that other people’s lives depend on their resilience. 

Joshua Noya. (2015). Photo of Wasfia Nazreen at the Tyrolean Traverse before Carstensz Summit [Image]. Retrieved March 6, 2016 from Facebook (Wasfia Nazreen Photos).

Like many others, I grew up watching musicals and classics like The Sound of Music¹ I did not, however, fully appreciate the song “Climb Every Mountain” sung by the Mother Abbess, until I grew older. This song is as relevant to each of us today, as it was to Maria in the movie.

The second verse in this song says: “Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, ‘till you find your dream…” If you take these words literally, how many of these feats can you carry out, and within what time frame?

Is it possible for me to “ford [a]stream”? Sure, but it’s not meaningful or practical for me to ford every stream. How about “follow every rainbow”? A leprechaun might have better luck than me accomplishing this task, particularly if there’s a pot of gold at the end of each rainbow. Which leaves “climb every mountain”. Could I possibly, in my lifetime, climb to the top of every mountain in the world?

From a health perspective, good health/physical fitness is crucial for climbing mountains. You’ll increase your stamina through various exercises, build your strength, and go through altitude training. In addition, you’ll also mentally and emotionally prepare for what you may experience as most climbs push your limits of endurance.

Wasfia Nazreen. (2012). Hillary Step before Mt. Everest summit [Image]. Retrieved March 6, 2016 from Facebook (Wasfia Nazreen Photos).

Honestly, I don’t know that I will ever climb a mountain, leave alone every mountain in the world. But if I had enough resources at my disposal, would I, at least, climb the seven summits of the world? 

Well, this is exactly what Wasfia Nazreen² did. I take pride in talking about Wasfia because she and I attended the same college though we were two classes apart. Wasfia was a student like the rest of us. She attended classes and engaged in extracurricular activities like most everyone else. After she graduated and went back to work in her home country, she saw significant problems and needs in her community and decided to do something about it. She has become an icon and a symbol of hope and strength for her country.

I was struck by and strongly identified with, her compassion for human rights, social justice activism, and commitment to the empowerment of women. It did not surprise me when she took on this seven summit challenge, so she could show the world how far Bangladeshi women had come, and how much further they are willing to go. Here are a few things that you need to know about Wasfia:

1)      She advocates for women’s empowerment and advancement;

2)      She is the first mountaineer from Bangladesh to conquer SEVEN peaks of the world;³

3)      She is the first and only Bangladeshi woman to reach the summit of Aconcagua (summit of S. America);⁴

4)      She is the second woman from Bangladesh (and the youngest) to scale Mt. Everest (the roof of the world);⁵ 

5)      She has also scaled Kilimanjaro (summit of Africa), Vinson Massif (summit of Antarctica), Mt. Elbrus (summit of Europe), and Denali (summit of N. America);⁶

6)      She was selected by National Geographic as one of the top 10 'Adventurers of the Year' (2014-15).⁷

7)      She completed her four-year journey to scale all seven summits on November 18, 2015, when she reached her final summit: Carstensz Pyramid (summit of Oceania).⁸

If you look at the statistics on how many people have scaled all seven summits,⁹ the number of women is alarmingly small. The women who achieved this amazing feat paved the way for women like Wasfia, and she, in turn, will encourage many others to do the same.

Sebastian Grau. (2014). Photo of Wasfia Nazreen on Denali/McKinley [Image]. Retrieved March 6, 2016 from Facebook (Bangladesh on Seven Summits).

Wasfia said that life is a constant Everest, and she’s right. Storms, avalanches, changes in altitude, getting lost, losing team members—all these are similar to the challenges we face in life that can threaten our progress, e.g., being homeless, jobless, sick with no healthcare, unhappy with our jobs and relationships, losing loved ones, being subjected to prejudice, and so on. 

But what if we all looked at life like we were climbing the toughest mountain? Would our attitudes, mindsets, and life purpose change, once we understand what it takes to overcome any challenge?

References

1.      The Sound of Music (2016). The Movie. Retrieved March 6, 2016: http://www.sound-of-music.com/sound-of-music/the-movie/

2.      Taking Bangladesh to Seven Summits: Wasfia Nazreen at TEDxDhaka. Retrieved March 5, 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w74KT_M68Uw   

3.       Taking Bangladesh to Seven Summits. Retrieved March 5, 2016: https://www.w4.org/en/project/bangladesh-on-7-summits/

4.      Taking Bangladesh to Seven Summits. Retrieved March 5, 2016: https://www.w4.org/en/project/bangladesh-on-7-summits/

5.      Taking Bangladesh to Seven Summits. Retrieved March 5, 2016: https://www.w4.org/en/project/bangladesh-on-7-summits/

6.      Taking Bangladesh to Seven Summits. Retrieved March 5, 2016: https://www.w4.org/en/project/bangladesh-on-7-summits/

7.      Taking Bangladesh to Seven Summits. Retrieved March 5, 2016: https://www.w4.org/en/project/bangladesh-on-7-summits/

8.      Wasfia Completes Seven Summits record: Retrieved March 5, 2016: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/nov/25/wasfia-completes-seven-summits

9.      Climbing the Seven Summits. Statistics. Retrieved March 6, 2016: http://climbingthesevensummits.com/seven-summits/statistics/