The Pursuit of Better Possibilities

In a 2021 documentary entitled “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” there's the story of Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese mountaineer who decides to climb the world's fourteen highest peaks with altitudes greater than 8,000 meters( 26,247 feet). Purja announces that he plans to climb all these peaks in seven months and break the current record of seven years. Given that many people thought this was an impossible feat, Purja named his expedition “Project Possible.” Purja and his team successfully climbed all fourteen peaks in seven months. In the documentary, Purja stated, “you can show the world that nothing is impossible.”

There are so many challenges to mountain climbing. There's the difficult terrain, unpredictable weather, altitude sickness, extreme temperatures, and the risks of falling or being caught in an avalanche. For Purja and his team, these challenges were part of every step they took up those fourteen highest peaks.

With this extraordinary moment in time, where climate change and extreme weather events are becoming more prevalent and having a bigger impact on all of our lives, it's understandable how many of us are feeling lost and frightened. And yet, reflecting upon the demanding responsibilities of those climbers in the documentary and the skills they needed to step onto those mountains, I find myself thinking about how the skills and spirit of these climbers could offer us some guidance or inspiration in the difficult days ahead.

The best mountain climbers have a high level of self-awareness, are able to make sound decisions under pressure, are more adaptable, and are definitely more confident with themselves in meeting the numerous challenges of climbing a mountain.

In his book The Courage To Create, psychologist Rollo May wrote, “A choice confronts us. Shall we, as we feel our foundations shaking, withdraw in anxiety and panic? Frightened by the loss of our familiar mooring places, shall we become paralyzed and cover our inaction with apathy? If we do those things, we will have surrendered our choice to participate in the forming of the future…Or shall we seize the courage necessary to preserve our sensitivity, awareness, and responsibility in the face of radical change? Shall we consciously participate, however small the scale, in the forming of the new society?” 

Climate change is shaking all of our foundations. With so many of our familiar mooring places having been drastically changed or destroyed, we could become paralyzed or even apathetic. We could give up and surrender to what feels like an insurmountable crisis. 

But like Purja and the other mountain climbers, maybe each of us could pursue our own “project possible” through greater self-awareness, being more adaptable and making smarter if not wiser decisions during this climate disruption. This path could be guided by a series of critical reflections and radical choices that we undertake each day. To question our most important values and principles in life as it relates to the protection of the planet, becoming more climate conscious, and then choosing to live in a more responsible and sustainable way. 

It was in the novel The Ministry For The Future, Kim Stanley Robinson begins his story with a major heat wave that kills millions of people in India. Following this event, the Paris Agreement signatories hold an emergency meeting. At that meeting, the president of the Paris Agreement organization pronounced, “At long last, we have to take the climate situation seriously, as the reality that overrides everything else. We have to act on what we know.”

In the first half of 2025, we've seen the continued rise in the atmospheric CO2 levels, higher global average annual temperatures, and more extensive and extreme weather events in the U.S., Western Europe, India, Russia and so many other places around the planet. As the president of the Paris Agreement organization warned in the novel, we have to take our climate situation seriously and we have to act on what we know. 

In her book No Straight Road Takes You There, Rebecca Solnit wrote, “hope is that recognition and a commitment to the pursuit of the better possibilities within the spaciousness of the unknown, the not yet created.” 

Thinking back to Purja and the other mountain climbers, I'm wondering what peaks we will all face in the pursuit of better possibilities during this period of climate disruption which is taking place in our neighborhoods, cities and around the planet. And wondering what choices or decisions we need to make, individually and collectively, to lead more resilient and meaningful lives at this extraordinarily moment.

The pursuit for better possibilities begins in each of our personal lives. For myself, it was back in 2018 that I decided to make some significant lifestyle changes. I would no longer own or drive a car and start walking. I would get my hands dirty by building gardens. I would take my backpack to the grocery store instead of using plastic bags. My hope was based and fueled by the daily actions that I took to always remember and recognize my small role in protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Ultimately, I wanted to lead a more sustainable life by living smaller, slower, simpler and with more spirituality. 

Beyond our personal journeys, we also need to find opportunities to become a part of the collective. After deciding to follow the mantra of “engage, educate, empower,” I started writing a series of columns on climate change for the two local papers in my hometown of Duluth, Minnesota (US) and then began coproducing the Climate>Duluth series for PACT-TV. Eventually, I would reach out and participate in various initiatives; including Covering Climate Now, Climate Mobilization and Climate Clock. 

With so many political and business leaders challenging the facts of climate change and even denying its existence, you and I have a significant responsibility, as citizens on this planet, to do whatever we can to pursue a healthier and more vibrant environment for all living things. And it is in the pursuit of these better possibilities, with our individual and collective choices, that we can all play a vital role in seizing the courage to preserve our sensitivity, awareness and sense of responsibility in the face of radical climate change. 

From his book self and soul: A Defense of Ideals, Mark Edmundson wrote, “If you live life without courage, compassion, the true exercise of intellect and creation through love, then you will not feel very well. You may even get quite ill.” 

Where there's a growing concern about the health and wellness of human beings and the planet, the pursuit of better possibilities must be guided by a greater sense of compassion, courage and critical thinking. To critically reflect upon our relationship to the environment and all living beings, to face our fears with a heightened level of awareness, and to make decisions that embrace a more compassionate approach to living in this often fragile world. This is the moral compass for addressing climate change in 2025 and beyond. 

References:

Edmundson, Mark. self and soul: A Defense of Ideals. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 244

May, Rollo. The Courage To Create. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1975. pp. 11-12

Robinson, Kim Stanley. The Ministry For The Future. New York: Orbit, 2020. p. 24

Solnit, Rebecca. No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2025. p. 3

Jones, T. (Director). (2021). "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible." Little Monster Films, Maekersuite Media Ltd.

Written by: Anthony Lanzillo