Читать книгу Polar Exploration. A practical handbook for North and South Pole expeditions онлайн

42 страница из 66

Surely thousands of people have done the same, and have experienced exactly the same exhilaration, but they haven't all become polar explorers, but I am convinced that a solid foundation in the natural world is truly character building.

Nobody helped me with this construction of my ‘real self’. My parents encouraged me to save for my first pair of running shoes, stereo or any other material stuff, so I had to work for it. Picking fruit, waiting tables, working at a grocery store, painting houses, helping farmers, doing market research… As a result, working towards my goals felt like the most normal thing to do. Following my dreams would not come free, and I found pleasure in drawing up a plan to keep my focus and strive towards it.

You have to work hard to reach ambitious goals. Talent and intellect surely help but only when you add an eagerness to work will you have laid the foundations for a good polar expedition.

Acting Responsibly

I have an uncomfortable feeling that I am living in an era where everything is just a little too easy and I am probably not alone. It is the constant onslaught of comfort-promoting commerce that concerns me. When things become too easy, we get lazy. When we get lazy, we get ill. When we are ill, we cannot function.