The Climb

A man named Kupa lived in a remote, dangerous village surrounded by treacherous mountains. Life in the village was harsh, with scarce resources and constant threats from wild animals. Kupa, though poor, possessed a heart full of dreams and an unyielding spirit. He often wondered if there was something beyond the mountains, a place where life could be better.

One fateful evening, as Kupa was walking near the edge of the village, he saw a flicker of light at the top of the highest mountain. A fleeting, mysterious glow ignited a spark of curiosity within him. He decided, then and there, that he would reach that light, no matter the cost.

“What could that flicker be?”

Kupa says to himself as he stares at the mountain, deciding which path would be easiest. 

The climb was going to be dangerous, but anything was better than the life he had. Kupa was a poor man born into a world of violence and hatred. A world where his people were murdered for no reason, condemned to poverty, and constantly reminded of how hopeless their lives were. A challenging climb up a steep mountain couldn't be any more brutal than the world he faced daily. 

A world where death sometimes was more attractive than life. 

Kupa said a prayer, gathered himself, and started his climb. He was poor and had no equipment, only his bare hands and feet. As he was climbing, he became fatigued, so he stopped and rested his head on the mountain. 

As Kupa was resting, a small rock struck him in the head from above. Then another rock hit him, and then another. Kupa became irritated by these rocks hitting him and looked up to see a small man being carried up the mountain in a harness. The small man laughed as he threw rocks down at Kupa. 

It was apparent he was attempting to make Kupa fall off the mountain. The small man didn't have to climb alone because someone was pulling him up the mountain. As the small man was being pulled up the mountain, he started to lose focus on Kupa, and the rocks he was throwing could no longer hit their target. 

Eventually, the small man got so high he just stopped throwing rocks.

This brief and annoying moment motivated Kupa to climb faster. He was angry that he had to climb the mountain while this tiny man was pulled to the top. It was apparent that whatever flicker was at the top of the mountain was not only seen by Kupa but also by someone who had already reached it. The small man didn’t even have to work to achieve this goal, for which Kupa was risking his life.  Kupa’s strength was renewed because although he was tired and hurt from being hit by rocks, he knew he had to make it to the top of the mountain or climb down to his old life on the ground. 

Kupa climbed higher and higher. The higher he rose, the more exhausted he was getting. His hands were cramping from the strenuous climb, and his feet were tired from holding up his body weight as he balanced on small ledges on his journey to the top. He found a small aperture for his feet to rest and rested his head again. While resting, he saw two other people climbing the mountain beside him. They were using climbing equipment and helping each other get ahead by using each other for leverage. They were quickly making progress with less work, and as they climbed past Kupa, all they did was look and wave.

No one reached out to give the young man a hand, even though they had the equipment and the manpower to do so. They just smiled and politely continued their journey. 

The sight of these people motivated Kupa even more. The two people could’ve helped Kupa climb, and Kupa could’ve ensured they made it to the top. The fact that these two smiled as they passed him was almost worse than the tiny man throwing rocks. At least Kupa knew that man couldn’t help him because he couldn’t even help himself. With anger in his eyes, Kupa began to climb faster. As he got higher and higher, he did the unthinkable and looked down. 

Big mistake.

The minute Kupa looked down, he instantly became dizzy. The view of how high he was from the ground made him sick, and fear entered his entire body. Kupa clutched onto the mountain. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He was too far to quit now and too high up to let go.

At this point in his journey, he faced two choices: success or death.

Kupa gathered himself, and he climbed on. As he finally began to approach the top of the mountain, he saw the two people with all the climbing equipment. He noticed their equipment could only get them so far, and since they had never climbed independently, they didn't have the strength to finish the journey. They held on to each other for support but could not progress further. 

Kupa climbed on. 

He climbed higher and higher. As he neared the top, he saw the small man throwing the rocks, clutching onto the side of the mountain. He was scared and shaking. The harness that held him was tattered and ripped. The rope that led to the top was torn and now hung down the side of the mountain. It was evident the small man had never climbed a day in his life, and now all he had the strength to do was hold on desperately to the mountain.

Kupa climbed on.

He finally reached the top of the mountain. He grabbed hold of the ledge and started to pull himself up. His whole body was exhausted from hours of climbing, and after a deep breath, he finally got his entire body up and onto the flat surface of the mountaintop; he was so exhausted from his climb that he just lay on the ground to rest. His hands and feet were swollen and bloody, and his body was sore everywhere. 

He was physically near death, but he made it to the top. 

After a short while, Kupa regained enough strength to stand up; as he stood up, he looked over toward the edge of the mountain and was shocked at what he saw. At the edge of the mountain was the dead body of an older man tied to a huge rock wedged; his arms were swollen, and his hands were bloody from rope burns. A piece of the rope he was holding was lying next to him; the end was ripped as if it had snapped.

Kupa gathered up his energy and walked over to the older man's body. He followed the path of the broken rope and looked over the mountain's edge. As he looked over the mountain's edge, he saw the small man who was throwing rocks below the broken rope. Kupa just shook his head at the sight of the small man and turned towards the light he had worked so hard to reach. The light was no longer flickering but in a full glow. Kupa had reached the top, but now he had to face what awaited him.

Kupa was fearful, but he walked toward the glow. As he got closer, he saw that it was a tree. The tree had golden leaves that hung from long branches which reached high into the sky. The glow from the tree's trunk caused the golden leaves to flicker. The tree also had long vines that hung to the ground; these vines were what the dead older man used as ropes to pull up the small man. The vines were abundant enough to assist everyone climbing the mountain, yet the older man only used one vine to help the small man. He could’ve easily made a long enough rope for everyone to climb to the top. As Kupa walked closer to the tree, a voice rumbled, "Congratulations, you have made it to the top."

The voice caused Kupa to jump back in fear. The voice from the tree then said, 

"Don't be afraid; you have reached the top, but this was only the start of your journey. Few people can make it this far, and no one has made it back. Two men made it to the top before you. The older man you see lying on the ground dead and the man he pushed off the mountain.

Kupa gasped in horror. The tree continued the story.

"Both men climbed up here many years ago. They both climbed up here in search of more for their families. Once they reached the top, I told them they could take enough leaves to provide for their families as along as they also take enough leaves to help others in the world. They agreed, and I allowed them to fill their bags with my leaves. I would allow them to use my golden vines to lower themselves down the mountain, and all was well. The older man you see dead on the ground convinced the other man to look over the edge to see how many vines they would need to climb down as he looked over the edge. The older man pushed him to his death. The older man then decided to take the vines and lower them for his son to climb up. Because of this act, I pulled my golden power from the vines he took from me, leaving them weak. The older man laughed at me and arrogantly tried to continue his plan. He anchored the vines to himself and a rock and began to pull his son up. The way he tied himself up put an immense amount of pressure on his body, and right before you reached the top, the pressure from the vines crushed him, and he fell dead."

Kupa was horrified, but he continued to listen. The tree continued.

"The man who was pushed looked much like you, and like you, his spirit was strong. His only mistake was trusting another man. I see you have made this journey yourself, so trusting someone else would not be a problem, but my trust has been broken with men. If I let you inherit the riches that will come from my leaves, what will be the first thing you will do with your wealth?"

Kupa stood there for a moment. A few of the leaves could take care of his family for at least two generations, but more could bring his entire village out of poverty. Kupa was a very simple person, and he didn’t need much after a few more moments of thinking. Kupa responded.

“I would love to inherit the leaves, but first, I would like to send your vines down the mountain so that all who want to inherit the leaves for themselves can make the climb and earn their own wealth. I don’t need much, and I have a small family, so a few of your leaves will be more than enough wealth for me. I would rather provide opportunity for people rather than charity. There are three people on the side of the mountain now that need help, and I would like to use your vines to help them. By giving them and everyone else who sees the vines the opportunity to climb to you, then how they inherit your leaves will be their decision.”

The tree was impressed by Kupa's answer, and it responded, “I admire your decision to help others, even the ones that have wronged you. You are a noble man, and I will grant your requests, but before you go, I must inform you that the people you want to help are no longer there. The couple that was climbing with the equipment grew weary and climbed back down the mountain, and the small man that was throwing rocks at you did not have the strength to hold on, and he fell to his death. I will allow you to release my vines, but you must build your home at the mountain's base and be solely responsible for who can climb these vines. Are you prepared to take on this task?”

Kupa thought for a moment. He would be responsible for everyone’s opportunity to reach the golden tree.

Was that something he wanted?

Was that something he deserved?

He knew the decision came with the benefit of being loved by everyone and the opportunity to change people's lives for good, but he would also be hated because he would have to turn people away who would not use the leaves for good. The burden of the decision was heavy, but Kupa understood that a heavy burden for one man could lighten the load for hundreds of others.

Kupa took a deep breath, looked at the tree, and said, “Yes, I’m prepared to accept my task.”

After Kupa responded, the tree's vines glowed brightly and reached over the mountain down to the ground. Kupa lowered himself down the vines, his pockets filled with golden leaves, and started his journey back to town to gather supplies to build his home.