Reverence for the land

I went to Joshua Tree today and drove through beautiful, awe-inspiring landscapes. It was a sun filled, meditative drive with mountains looming in front of me.

My mind wandered back to a memory involving mountains, though in a very different setting. I was maybe 10 years old, watching a movie on a random TV channel with my mom. I remember heavy snow, freezing peaks, white mountain climbers, and Asian porters — so this was likely about Everest. There was a scene where two white guys got into an argument and one of them pulled out a gun and, ignoring the warnings of the porters, fired a…