Sean Greasley struggled during the COVID pandemic, fighting mental health issues as well as the physical aspects of that virus. Now that he has recovered, he wants to give back to others who fight the same problems. That led to his plan to raise money for suicide prevention.
His approach was to climb and descend Mount Everest – sort of. That summit is 29,031 feet and 5.5 inches above sea level. The plan he devised was to climb the stairs at his home, making sure to cover the same distance as if he were scaling the world’s tallest mountain. One other condition he added to make his trek more authentic was to never touch the stairway banister, since there are no handrails on Everest.
Greasley set up a live stream of his feat on YouTube, showing him covering the distance in 22 hours, 57 minutes, and 2 seconds. A condensed version of that event is available, which is advertised as “Climbing Mount Everest In 35 Minutes”. In doing this he also set a Guinness World Record.
I applaud Greasley’s desire to help others who struggle with mental health issues, but his “climb” of Everest seems to be like running in place. Lots of effort is expended, but in the end you’re still at the place you began.
Solomon experienced something like running in place. In Ecclesiastes 1:2,3 he wrote, “’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” He went on to list various ways in which he tried to find meaning in life: learning, pleasure, material possessions, entertainment, etc. He had it all, but found no pleasure.
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” is a common refrain in this book, and it seems to suggest that life has no real meaning. Yes, we’re running up and down the stairs, but where have we gotten for all of our effort? As we read through the first eleven chapters of the book, we feel discouraged.
Chapter 12, however, brings us to the only way to view life for meaning and purpose: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,” he advised in Ecclesiastes 12:1. As the book ends, there is this added instruction: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14).
Colossians 3:1,2 makes the same point: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Getting our minds set on the right things is the key to meaningful living.
When I climb my last flight of stairs – where will I be? If I’m climbing with the Lord, I know I will be at a place most satisfying (see John 14:6)!
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall
