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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-10-07, Page 5Arthur Black THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7,1992. PAGE 5. Everest, world’s highest junkyard Ev-er-est n. Mount, a mountain in S Asia, on the boundary between Nepal and Tibet; the highest mountain the world. Webster's College Dictionary It stands a towering five and a half miles above seal level, the highest gable on the rooftop of the world. It's been the subject of poems, ballads, books and films. Humans have died by the scores trying to climb its flanks. Adjectives like ‘spectacular’, ‘awesome’ and ‘magnificent’ seem puny and pathetic in the presence of its sheer, mind­ unhinging majesty. It's been called the most beautiful sight on the planet and the Eighth Wonder of the World. It is also a dump. Specifically, a garbage dump. One created by wealthy, arrogant, supposedly wilderness-loving humans who should know better. Chris Bonnington is a member of that extremely elite group of mountaineers who can claim they've climbed Everest and lived to tell about it. His summation? “Everest is the highest junkyard in the world. It is littered with discarded tins, tents, The good things in other places I am sure that most people who have travelled to any degree to other countries will probably admit that there are a few things they prefer elsewhere compared to what we do in Canada. For some reason it strikes you as being more sensible and you often wonder why we couldn't do something like that here. At the risk of being drawn and quartered by those who think that everything is fine the way it is in Canada, here are a few things that I have found in other countries which strike me as being preferable. For openers, I admit to being fascinated with the American system of having a club or organization or even a corporation adopt a stretch of road and promise to keep it neat and tidy. If you drive along some of the highways south of the border, you will see a sign that says that the next two miles have been adopted by the Last Chance Gulch Widget Corp, and the employers/employees will spend as much time as it takes to keep it continuously clean. Not only does the road keep clean, it also instills a sense of responsibility in the people involved. I next move to Switzerland. You knew that, sooner or later, I was going to get around to that country but no matter. The Swiss have a neat way of reminding the population that the environment matters. When you come to a railway crossing or a stoplight, you will frequently see a sign suggesting you turn off your engine during the time you are waiting for the train to pass or the light to change. Again it is not a great deal but it does serve as reminder and it is surprising just how many people follow the food and empty oxygen tanks. There's so much up there that a full-scale expedition would be needed to remove it.” To a non-mountaineer it seems incredible, but the fact is, thousands of mountaineers from around the world converge on the slopes of Everest every year to try their luck. It costs many thousands of dollars even to fail to climb the mountain, so the people who come are most often rich, the kind of folks who are used to having “other people” take care of their garbage. There are no garbage trucks or blue boxes in the Himalayas, so the trash gets left behind at the campsites or tossed into ravines. Fortunately, not every visitor to Everest is a pig. There's a group called Youth To Everest, made up of Canadian and New Zealand volunteers, who ponied up more than $4,000 apiece for the privilege of flying to the slopes of Everest and cleaning up the junk. It's not a Club Med vacation. The volunteers endured six hour hikes and debilitating bouts of altitude sickness. Even halfway up Everest a human has to drink four litres of water a day to avoid dehydration. And it's exhausting. “At 15,000 feet” says volunteer Dawn Sinko, “even turning the pages of a book can be exhausting.” Aromatic, too. One of the culture shocks they had to get used to was going without hot baths for months at a time. The only way By Raymond Canon suggestion. I was sitting at level crossing one day this past summer. The car window was open and to my surprise I could not hear a single car motor. Every last one in the line­ up was off. My next accolade is going to go to those countries that still have some form of compulsory military service. It is not that I am in favour of war; far from it. What I would like to see is some form of national service, of which the military is one option. I think 18 is a good age to remind young people that they have an obligation to their country and not just the other way around. It is also a time when they need to learn a little bit more discipline. Even the military is changing; it could well be that in the future Canadian soldiers will be more involved in peace-keeping. We do, after all, already have an unparalleled record in this field. Some of my readers may remember that a few years back we had a youth service system called Katimavik. To me this was one of the finest national service programs ever created but it got sacrificed on the altar of financial expediency. What a pity! There are a number of things from the Orient but one thing that stands out in my mind is the way people in that region think about life in general. Let me cite for example a Japanese word, “muga”, which refers to total-present moment awareness. About the best definition of it comes from the famous American psychologist Abraham Maslow, which is as follows: “Muga is a state in which you are doing whatever you are doing with a total wholeheartedness, without thinking of anything else, without any hesitation, without any criticism or doubt or inhibition of any kind whatsoever. It is pure and perfect and total spontaneous acting without any blocks of any kind. This is possible only when the self is transcended or forgotten.” In short, you ban worry from your mind and concentrate solely on the to heat water is by burning wood. And the forests are almost gone. The volunteers stuck it out, to the admiration of the Nepalese who have had to live in the rich people’s litter. They remember the days when there were no Yuppy trekkers on Everest. Dawn Sinko says “You'd ask them what it was like before the tourists came and they’d get really sad and say: ‘Oh, it was wonderful.’ ” Maybe it will be again. Meanwhile, I notice from my local paper that a bunch of volunteers spent last weekend cleaning up a river right here in Canada. The Speed River is a tiny stream that will never be mistaken for the Amazon or the St. Lawrence. Truth to tell, you can walk across it in rubber boots and not get wet most of the time. Nevertheless, a group called Friends of the Speed managed to fill six dumpsters and 700 garbage bags, and to fish out more than 150 rubber tires. What’s heartening is that it wasn't just a bunch of dewy-eyed eco-freaks who pitched in. The dumpsters were donated by a waste­ disposal firm which also hauled them to a landfill site. The municipality waived the usual $90-per-tonne dumping fee. A local plant allowed organizers to use its land during the cleanup, and a tire recycling company offered to pick up the discarded tires. You know, sometimes it seems as if we might just get our act together yet. Scene moment at hand. I think you will understand by now that each society can contribute something to our way of thinking and doing things so the world can be a much more pleasant place in which to live. One thing I have done over my lifetime is to go into each country with an open mind and see what they have to teach us. I found, for example, we could learn a few lessons in hospitality from both the Russians and the Iraqis, two people that have not been high on our list of popular people these past few years. There are, to be sure, hospitable people everywhere but you find it sometimes where you least expect it. You are also going to find negative attributes everywhere but why go looking for them when you don't have to. It is far better to enter a new world with a positive attitude and see what can make your life more pleasant than it might normally be. In this respect I am always reminded of a neighbour of mine who went to Switzerland for the first time. She arrived apparently right in the middle of one of the largest military exercises to take place that year. She immediately jumped to the conclusion this country, believe it or not, was something akin to a military dictatorship. There were, she said, soldiers all over the place every day. That was the last time she was going there, she added. They might even have a coup d'etat while she was there. Now there's a closed mind. HAVE AN OPINION ? The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and should be accompanied by a telephone number should we need to clarify any information. The Citizen reserves the right to edit or not print letters. ___________________________ At Lisa’s Level Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot It’s time to lessen the burden The best thing about being a journalist is the places you get to go and the people you meet. Some places and people are interesting, some humourous, some depressing and some inspiring. I've seen interesting places, run into some funny faces, heard some depressing stories, been awed by amazing accomplishments and inspired by others. But never have I felt as inspired and remorseful as when I met Don and Elma Plant .You may have heard of them—they're the couple who've both tested positive for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that leads to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). You wouldn’t know it to look at them. They look like you and me. They're not homosexuals or drug users; they're just a young couple with three children who operate a pig farm outside of Londesboro. I interviewed them this week for a story about HIV and AIDS as this is AIDS Awareness week. What inspired me about them is their commitment to changing the face of AIDS by heightening awareness of this deadly disease. Here is a couple already burdened by a dreadful disease, by the knowledge they will surely die unless a cure is found and with the agony of knowing they will be leaving three helpless children behind. Yet, they’re adding another burden in their quest to enlighten people about AIDS and HIV. By revealing their illness, they're exposing themselves to rejection and ridicule by an unknowledgeable and unforgiving public. Elma and Don regularly attend speaking engagements to tell their story. Hours of their time is spent preparing for and doing their talk—valuable time they could be spending with each other and their children. They're using up vital time and energy trying to help us when so few of us are trying to help them. Already, the Plants know of families who refuse to enter their home or let their children play with the Plant children even though the children aren't HIV positive. ’Even people who do not shy away from the family have a different attitude towards them. Their lack of knowledge makes them fearful they will catch the disease, awkward as they wonder what to say and often judgemental It's ironic when you consider we're more of a danger to the Plants than they are to us. We can't get AIDS through casual contact but they could die from a common cold. Each time they venture out, they expose themselves to the viruses and illnesses normal, healthy bodies can fight off easily but which, for them, destroy even more of the few remaining immune cells they have left. We need to listen to their message, that anyone, no matter who you are, can catch AIDS through unprotected sex and sharing needles. We also have to remember to have compassion. Who are we to judge others? Anyone who has unprotected sex or shares needles, even once, runs the risk of contracting AIDS. It's time we listened to people like the Plants so they won't have to bear the burden of the disease plus the load of our ignorance and lack of compassion.