I always embrace the opportunity to travel and learn – education is a never ending engagement.  I have traveled the world extensively since 1970.  My first opportunity was provided through a Thomas Watson Fellowship where my travels included study in Europe and Africa with a focus on systems colonization.  It was there that I witnessed first hand the reality of inhumanity through political, economic and cultural domination.

During my early years as a 20 year old visiting the eastern side of Africa for the first time, I set my eyes on magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro. I was studying in Nairobi, Kenya, and a group of us decided to drive from there to Tanzania. I was in awe of this mountain that could be seen from miles away.

Tanzania is home to some of the oldest hominid settlements unearthed by archaeologists. Reaching back about 10,000 years, Tanzania is believed to have been populated by hunter-gatherer communities, probably Khoisan-speaking people. Its history includes invasions by British and German colonial rule.  The country is a fascinating place to visit and to learn more about the evolution of man and culture.  In 1954 the teacher Julius Nyerere helped form the Tanganyika African National Union. Nyerere was elected prime minister after Tanganyika’s independence in 1961 and became president in 1962 under the country’s new republican constitution.

Mount Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, is the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.  Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones, Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct; but Kibo, the highest peak, is dormant and could erupt again.  Almost every kind of ecological system is found on the mountain: cultivated land, rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and an arctic summit.  It is a Sacred Mountain to the Changa people.

Sacred mountains are central to certain religions and are the subject of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed to be the closest to heaven or other religious worlds.  Many religions have traditions centered on sacred mountains, which either are or were considered holy.  Before the arrival of Christianity, the Changa people practiced a diverse range of faiths based upon the importance of ancestors which is strongly maintained by them to this day. The name of the chief Changa deity is Ruwa, who resides on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is sacred to them.  Ruwa is not looked upon as the creator of humankind, but rather as a liberator and provider of sustenance. He is known for his mercy and tolerance when sought by his people. Some Changa myths concerning Ruwa resemble biblical stories of the Old Testament.

I had an opportunity to visit Africa in the 1990s with a non-profit organization that drilled for water in remote parts of Kenya and again saw this imposing mountain.  I returned again in 2005 with World Vision while working with an entertainment client doing work in Ethiopia and showing the world the devastation of hunger in this area.  Each time I saw this mountain I was impressed with how imposing it was, but it never dawned on me that I should hike to the summit.

There was a reason I found myself in front of these dominating mountains throughout my life.  It became a priority on my bucket list; a reality that I knew was reachable.  I am now planning and preparing to hike to the summit this August. There is so much symbolism related to climbing mountains.  It is a common theme in songs, speeches, books, and can represent reaching toward the pinnacle of life.  The mountain can represent hope and truth. The view from the top of the mountain seems to put you closer to the sky, and perhaps also closer to a clearer understanding of your purpose.  This vantage point at the top of the mountain may allow you to see the truth about your own life situations.  I think about the last speech of Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee, in his I Have a Dream speech when he said: “… because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That’s a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”

The view from the top of the mountain may not always be clear because of the clouds that surround you; it may not be dark enough to see the stars, but your vantage point makes it clear where you are as you reflect on the determination it took to get to the top of the mountain.

A Dose of Truth: Your view of life becomes clearer as you climb your mountains.