Fortitude

Mountains are sacred places.  In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is the dwelling place of the gods.  In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Mount Sinai is the place where Moses encountered God and received his commandments.

The nature of mountains is elemental.  Earth (rocks), water (glaciers and streams), air (wind), and fire (lightning). They are rooted in the very crust of the earth.  During the day, as the sun traverses the sky, the mountain sits.  Light, colors, shadows change moment to moment, and yet the mountain stays.  Clouds, fog, wind, rain, and snow may swirl around the massive peak; and when all is clear, there is the mountain, abiding all change.

On its surface, glaciers move, snow fields form and dissipate, boulders break loose from the freeze and thaw cycle.  At its base, streams and rivers flow; animals and plants are nourished.  And yet, through it all, the mountain sits, unmoved by the weather and what happens on its surface.

As we lead our lives, what is possible if we adopt the "mountain perspective".  Can we embody the same unwavering rootedness and stillness of the mountain in the face of everything that changes in our environment?  Can we adopt the strength and stability of the mountain as the turbulence of our day-to-day existence attempts to push us this way and that?

It can be helpful to see the events that happen to us are much like the weather on the mountain.  While we tend to take them seriously and personally, the events of our own lives are not to be ignored, denied, or resisted; they are to be encountered, felt, and known for what they are; and then allowed to pass.