George Mallory or a New York Times reporter - not Edmund Hillary - reasoned that Everest should be conquered “because it was there.” It matters not at all that Hillary wasn’t the first to say it. Greatness doesn’t necessarily require originality and, after all, the 1950s wasn’t the era of the manufactured soundbyte.
On his return from the conquest of that mountain, Hillary quipped to friend George Lowe, “Well George, we finally knocked the bastard off.” You can get away with that kind of frankness and simplicity when your accomplishments say it all for you.
A man to be known and to be revered, Edmund Hillary. Maybe, with a too-rare combination of knowledge, willingness and a skip away from relativism that obscures greatness, some students somewhere might end up knowing more about Edmund Hillary than, say, Crispus Attucks or Molly Pitcher.
Associated Press Obituary, January 10, 2007
National Geographic’s “Sir Edmund Hillary, A Life in Pictures”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Stephen Downes 01.17.08 at 4:27 am
> a skip away from relativism that obscures greatness
Terribly gauche to use his death to make a cheap political point. Especially when the point doesn’t even apply to a man who made another culture as important to him as his own.
Matthew K. Tabor 01.17.08 at 4:43 am
It isn’t political in the slightest, Stephen. One thing we don’t have enough of in education is time - we all know this. I’d prefer that we spend that time on the men and women who accomplished great things rather than trivia. As you pointed out, his service in Nepal [and relevant to some of our work, his specific charity toward education] should be as well-known as his climb.
There’s nothing cheap about lamenting our unfortunate ignorance of some great men and women - and it’s more than fair to point out the other things we spend time on. I could have easily pointed to a television program, too much emphasis on sports, video games or any number of activities on which kids spend time that, in the long run, are of dubious value compared to the influence of a man like Hillary. I chose to use a few of the less important [but still very common] elements of middle/high school American History syllabi because that was the issue at hand.
Stephen Downes 01.17.08 at 5:01 am
> I’d prefer that we spend that time on the men and women who accomplished great things rather than trivia.
Some people would debate whether climbing a mountain constitutes a ‘great’ thing or ‘trivia’. I have the feeling that mountain climbers, most of all, are sensitive that their ‘greatness’ is seen as relative.
> There’s nothing cheap about lamenting our unfortunate ignorance of some great men and women
The cheapness comes from the tacky swipe at relativism, even tackier here as it is equated to a form of ignorance.
I think that simply lauding the man, without recruiting him to your (non-relativist) political position, would have been sufficient.
Some people - including myself - believe that being great is not possible without adopting some or another relativistic stance. But such people - including myself - are content to let the debate pass unremarked when the occasion demands respect and tribute for someone’s life’s work.
Meanwhile, I will now return my my work of ‘dubious value’.
Matthew K. Tabor 01.17.08 at 5:16 am
Relativism isn’t equated to a form of ignorance in that comment. The ignorance is that of students who do not know about important issues, events and people, but who were taught things that range from less important to indefensible.
If you feel comfortable summarizing Hillary’s expedition as just “climbing a mountain,” be my guest - I certainly won’t do it. The physical feats forged by all in that successful attempt are nothing short of incredible. As you can read or hear over and over, the simple fact that their gear pales in comparison to our modern pieces makes the climb remarkable.
“Meanwhile, I will now return my my work of ‘dubious value’.”
Many thanks for that.