The World Is Great

When I came back from work and was eating dinner, a TV program caught my attention. The program was about a solo alpinist. His name is Nobukazu Kuriki. He was born in Hokkaido. He was attracted by city life and came to Tokyo when he graduated high school. But soon, he lost heart and spent for a year as a part timer worker or without working. After that, he went back to Hokkaido and entered an university. He joined mountain climbing club there and that changed his life.

In June of 2004, after 2 years since he started climbing mountains, he climbed McKinley which is the highest mountain in North American continent alone as his first trip abroad. Since then, he's kept climbing mountains in the world alone. In March of 2007, he climbed Cho Oyu which is the 6th highest mountain in the world without oxygen inhalation. From that time, he started sending his video and tried sharing his adventure with people. In October of 2008, he accomplished climbing Manaslu (the 8th highest mountain in the world, 8163m) alone without oxygen inhalation and descended by ski. He is the first person who did it as Japanese. In March of 2009, he climbed Dhaulagiri (the 7th highest mountain in the world, 8167m) and created an on-the spot broadcasting when he climbed it. Now, he is trying Everest. No Japanese has succeeded in climbing Everest alone without oxygen inhalation, and he wants to broadcast the adventure via internet :) I was very impressed when I saw him because he is just around same age as me! I thought what I was doing when he climbed these mountains and got a little bit depressed :(

I think, when humans meet something that is beyond them, they will be moved. He is meeting marvelous views when he climbs mountains. He gets to see them in exchange for all the efforts and suffering he has through climbing. Not everybody can do such a thing, but his succeed moves people. Actually, when he was trying Everest last year (unfortunately, he couldn't accomplish it at that time), a lot of people sent him messages to cheer him up when he had hard time. Everybody wished him coming back alive. And he came back alive. As long as he is alive, there is a chance to try again.

I thought about the meaning of living when I saw this program. He was what is called ニート (it means people who don't work), sort of people that we don't appreciate. But he changed, and now he is doing something great enough to move a lot of people and actually, his work even changed some people's life. People are encouraged seeing him and it pushed their back. I think, living is influencing. To a greater or less extent, we are affecting someone. We are getting an influence by someone, and also giving an influence. If not, maybe there is no point to live. I don't think I can move a lot of people. But I want to be a person who can give a good influence to people around me and hopefully, I will bring a small happiness to someone I love someday :)