Scaling Impossible Mountains

 The movie Free Solo tells the true story about Alex Honnold, who is the first to successfully climb El Capitain, a famous mountain in Yosemite Park. I found this movie to be interesting in many ways, particularly in how it chronicles the contradictory values of companionship and goals, and how these two are precariously balanced. One of the apt metaphors that resonated with me while watching this movie was that of armor: how character must suit itself up in a tight armor of focus in order to achieve the almost impossible accomplishment of climbing such a steep mountain.
  Watching this movie convinces me that in some ways, people come into this world with very specific things they need to do, and there is no rational way of explaining these things away. Very exceptional characters and personalities like Honnold remind me of the soul's important mission and work in the world as well as the complexity of embracing contradictions on the journey. After all, achieving the goals that most resonate with one's soul and calling is not without the needs for community and being grounded in companionship. Alex's partner Sanni stands by him throughout this journey, and yet has to face the fact that her partner is glued to his goal of scaling the mountain.      Is there any way around such a goal?\ A few times in this movie, I felt that Alex was going to abandon his mountain journey and embrace an ordinary life. But toward the end, I became convinced that when the soul calls, people are going to need to answer it in some way. It is simply not enough to hide in a safe framework of a suburban existence, for example; one must face those deepest desires to achieve sooner or later. At the same time, I can see that there is a give and take here, where Alex learns that he can't do anything totally separate from the community and people who care about him. In this way, the soul needs community to continue its journey.