Guest guest Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 One of the most famous tightrope walkers living today said: "To look up elevates the soul; to watch a falcon take flight from the cornice of a building is to envy its freedom, to consider the world from a loftier perspective. We need altitude as much as we need oxygen. To be surrounded by things of great height -- mountain peaks or skyscrapers -- reminds us of our fragility but also inspires us to reach for the clouds, to take our measure and to stretch it."(3) These observations speak to strong sensibilities in human experience, and usefully broach the topic of the significance of great heights. For countless generations, mountains existing as upthrust geographical areas of higher elevation have nurtured the religious imagination by enticing people with the possibilities of drawing closer to the sky, a realm beyond the human being's usual earthbound reach. Around the world, wherever mountains exist as geographical features of the environment, there are ancient associations -- ideas of reaching up to heaven, contacting a higher spiritual realm.(4) We think of the Himalayas, Olympus, Fuji, Sinai, and the temple mount in Jerusalem, as well as holy mountains in the Andes, and in China, to name but a few. Mountains prefigure the sacred sanctuaries around the world. For more, see http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/~wijackso/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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