Final Post

I sort of agree with the narrator when he says that ego-climbers are eventually destructive. They do things to try and prove something which doesn't allow them to actually enjoy what they are doing. But the author also says that "when you try to climb a mountain to prove how big you are, you almost never make it" (pg189) I don't think this part is necessarily true because some people just need goals to accomplish something and i their goal is to prove how big they are then why is that bad. He says that it leads to endless times where you have to prove yourself and nothing gets fulfilled. I'm not really sure if I think that part is true, but I do believe that some people need goals to get something done and that its not a bad thing to be a little bit of an ego-climber, as long as you try to enjoy your surroundings while climbing that mountain. Also the few times I have climbed mountains, I was definitely and ego-climber. I always pictured myself somewhere else and wanted to know how much longer and only climbed to prove that I could. But maybe that is why I hate climbing mountains and going hiking and stuff, because I am an ego-climber and the few experiences I had were fine but not incredible. I think the narrator believes all this because he believes that you should experience your surroundings and enjoy them as much as possible. For example in the beginning of the book when he talked about how he liked motorcycles better then cars because he was a part of the environment, not watching it through a glass window. The narrator definitely gets his strong opinions from Phaedrus. Phaedrus was always the one to say what he wanted even if nobody liked it (for example the whole quality argument) He did things his own way and passed on some of this spunk to the narrator.


I think the ego goal of going to college is annoying. Although it is now the social norm to do this, I really don't like the fact that everything we do has to look good for colleges and we cant get one C without freaking out cause we arent going to get into the college we want. We should be able to enjoy high school, like enjoying the climb of the mountain. But instead we are constantly stressed and just praying that the top of the mountain comes sooner. We dream and talk about other places because we just do not want to be in school. This is what society has done to us. Made us all ego-climbers when it comes to college. We should be able to enjoy the ride but instead we are scared that we aren't going to succeed in the future.