The Mountain

My mountain is treacherous 10 thousand feet of ominous stone.  Climbing it is for only the most adventurous for never has there been a challenge more difficult.  The base of the rocky face is smooth as glass where even the craftiest of insects would be hard pressed to find a perch.  While from the top half protrudes a million daggers of stone, where every handhold must be paid for in flesh and blood.  But most challenging of all is the last hundred strides up a gently rolling slope.  There is no secret to this simple finish, no monster patiently waiting.  Yet still I have seen men get on their stomachs and carefully crawl for days in doubt of its overwhelming simplicity.

         All who leave my mountain are changed from when they arrived.  Most die, just decide that death is preferable and let go, falling into an existence that asks nothing of them but provides nothing in return.  Others will spend so long on the mountain that all memory of their intentions slip away and of their own accord they simply begin to climb down.  However, there are a few who are able to conquer the mountain, are able to look around and see 100 miles in every direction.  Those are the men who I bestow the treasure of the mountain upon.  A treasure that’ll change a man more surely then a ten thousand foot deathly plummet to the ground below. 

         In every man exists the desire to be more than he is.  The greater his desperation to achieve beyond himself, the more desperate his measures become.  Never have I met a man more desperate than the powerful general by the name of Ambition.

         How and when he arrived are of trivial concern, but one morning the sun rose and was reflected in the armour, shields and swords of an entire army camped at the base of my mountain.  At first light, with no absence of presence General Ambition marched to the base of my mountain and proclaimed with all the strength he could manage “I will be known as the great Ambition conqueror of nature’s greatest obstacle, he who holds the treasure of the mountain.  If it costs the blood of every man at my disposal I WILL HAVE IT!”
His voice echoed throughout the mountain range for not but a moment, however it echoed through my mind for years to come.

         Ambition sent 100 men to retrieve my treasure his anticipation so raw that it set a silence across the mountainside and into the valley.  Many of them dared not try complete his orders, many tried and failed but all died at the hands of my mountain or their own general’s fury. All except for one, a soldier by the name of Initiative.  When he approached the crest of my mountain, I welcomed him with open arms.  He smelled from days of sweat, his hands bled, he had neither eaten nor slept in days and he had never know such complete fatigue.  I willingly share part of my treasure with him and the moment he held my gift in his hands numb with pain the burden upon him lifted he looked up at me tears in his eyes and thanked me.  He carried it back down the mountain with a calm mind, light spirit and the pride of a lion.  He was a good man. 

         When Initiative reached the ground, his legs told him to fall where he stood but instead he limped towards his general’s tent to announce his return.  General Ambition had been impatiently awaiting Initiative’s arrival for days.  His eyes had become bloodshot and his temper was on high.  Before Initiative could even get a word out, Ambition demanded “Do you have it?”
Initiative quickly replied “Yes sir.”
“Can I have it now?” The general asked.
“No.” responded Initiative hesitantly.
This act of disobedience ignited all the frustration and rage within the General.  He drew his sword and cut Initiative down on the spot.  Although 1000 men searched for the treasure for two nights and days it was never found.  Did he hide it? Did he lose it?  Could he have swallowed it?  “Send 100 more!” was the scream that could be heard in the farthest corners of the camp.

         From this second expedition, again only one man completed the arduous climb, a soldier by the name of Originality.  Again I bestowed a portion of my mountain’s treasure upon this man but when he returned he was killed as well.  The treasure still remained elusive of the General though.  What was it that these men were hiding? 

In this manner I met seven more soldiers by the names:
Determination, who fell off the mountain twice before finally succeeding.
Courage, who hesitated not one second during his climb.
Compassion, who nearly lost his life rescuing a comrade from a rock slide.
Respect, who I gave more treasure to than anyone else because he treated me so kindly.
Confidence, who knew he would reach the top as soon as he saw the mountain.
Leadership, who’s 99 companions made it the farthest without losing a man.
and Talent, who made the climb faster than all who had preceded him.

However, each of these soldiers died under General Ambition’s sword refusing to give up the treasure of treasures.

As I began to think that I would have to witness the death of every man in the valley below, another soldier by the name of Success emerged over the gently rolling slope that is the crest of my mountain.  What struck me about this man was the normality of his condition.  He appeared to be absolutely pristine, showing maybe the drowsiness of a child without his rest, but still remarkably well-kempt.  My curiosity whetted, I asked how he had managed such a feat. “I have observed my comrade’s, seen their strengths and noted their mistakes.  It’s because of my fellow comrades that I stand here today, totally unscathed by the perilous journey,” he said this with a smile like no other and his immense gratitude was written clearly on his face.
He wasn’t surprised at the nature of the treasure, or the vast amounts of it, he already knew, but his elation was obvious.

He turned to start his downhill trek; it filled me with great sorrow to see him go.  He was a great man.

For the tenth time a soldier entered the General’s tent.  For the tenth time Ambition asked for the treasure and for the tenth time he was refused.  Once again Ambition raises his sword for the killing blow.  With sword held high and blood rushing through his red-hot veins General Ambition paused.  Then with all the weight of his continual failures on his shoulders, he lost his resolve and fell to his knees.  “What is it about this treasure that has caused 10 of my best men to betray me?” he mutters almost to himself.
“Why have they refused to give it to me and why can’t I find it!” cries Ambition with building anguish.

Success simply smiles and says, “The treasure of the mountain, is the satisfaction of the climb.”