In In Thin Air there is a divide that is perhaps the most clearly visible of all. Perhaps it is even clearer than the distinction between customer and guide. Every character in the book falls into one of two categories; Sherpa or Westerner. You might say that the culture of Everest is the culture of the Sherpa, the strongly Buddhist people who live in the mountain's shadow, many of whom make a living guiding wealthy foreigners up the dangerous slopes to the summit. However, there is little controversy surrounding the marketing of Everest in recent years. Indeed, it would seem, in many ways, that the Sherpas' Buddhist culture is in direct conflict with the new role they have found as guides to the increasingly "touristy" Everest climbers. However, after a deeper examination of the principles of Buddhism and the work performed by these Sherpas, nothing could be further from the truth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Regardless, we must first evaluate whether there is any “blame” to be placed on the Sherpa for contributing to the commercialization of Everest. First, it is absolutely crucial to remember that the Sherpa culture and religion are completely intertwined with their mountain environment: “The Sherpas belong to the Nyingmapa Buddhist sect. [...] emphasizes mysticism and incorporates shamanic practices and local deities borrowed from the pre-Buddhist Bon religion. Therefore, in addition to Buddha and the great Buddhist deities, Sherpas also believe in numerous gods and demons who are believed to inhabit every mountain, cave and forest. These are to be worshiped or appeased through ancient practices that have been woven into the fabric of Buddhist ritual life. In fact, it is almost impossible to distinguish between Bon practices and Buddhism. Many of the great mountains of the Himalayas are revered as deities. The Sherpas call Mount Everest Chomolungma and worship it as the "Mother of the World". Mount Makalu is revered as the deity Shankar (Shiva). Each clan recognizes mountain gods identified with certain peaks who are their patron deities. (www.everyculture.com) They object, often loudly, to climbers sleeping together on the mountain. Here a possible contradiction appears. In Into Thin Air, Hall comments that “we would have absolutely no chance of reaching the summit of Everest without their help. […]Without the support of our Sherpas none of us have any chance of climbing the mountain.” (Krakauer 38) While this is meant to be a sign of gratitude towards them, it shows an interesting fact. Without Sherpa, fewer paying climbers would be able to scale Everest. In this respect, Sherpas have directly contributed to the marketing of Everest. Since Tenzing and Hillary's first summit, Sherpas have been an invaluable tool in climbing Everest. Yet, for all their attempts to please and respect the mountain, some have contributed to diminishing it by placing it within the reach of Westerners who are only able to climb it by virtue of wealth. Of course, some changes in Everest's identity were inevitable. Since its discovery and subsequent ascent, it has become the pre-eminent destination for experienced mountaineers from around the world, a true honor. However, in 1985, Dick Bass, a wealthy Texan with little experience, was guided to the summit, and Everest soon became little more than a prize to be purchased. Everest was turned into a business, an achievement that could be purchased by all but the least experienced climbers. As Krakauer says; for many, especially those who had climbed Everest previously,"Everest,[...] had been degraded and desecrated". (Krakauer 22) In fact, this was a second shift in Everest culture, the first being from Sherpa deity to the mountaineer's final challenge. The Sherpas were instrumental in both of these transitions, offering their skills to all those seeking to conquer the once unexplored peak. To the extent that Everest has been tamed, it could be said that the Sherpas helped tame it. From there on, it is no small step to understand that the Sherpas have betrayed the long traditions of semi-worship of the mountains. However, all these observations, which seem true on the surface, fail to really hold up for a variety of reasons. To start, while leading their clients, Sherpas stop at a number of temples and shrines along the route, encouraging clients to experience Buddhism and maintain an air of respect. Although thousands of clients have successfully reached the summit, the Sherpas have not forgotten the danger inherent in their work. Indeed, one of the most encouraging facts about the Sherpas' role on Everest is that they failed to tame the mountain. The very high levels of danger mean that we remember that the Mountain must always be respected. Although many Westerners see Everest as an obstacle that can be purchased for the right price, Sherpa culture still keeps in mind that the Mountain truly behaves as if it were a living entity that can and will punish climbers in a seemingly arbitrary manner. To this end, the Sherpas show enormous cultural and religious devotion to climbing the mountain in the most respectful way possible. Krakauer describes how the Sherpas build “beautiful, meticulously constructed stone chortens at base camp, one for each expedition” (Krakauer 75) as a form of protection for the expeditions. While the Sherpas have indirectly helped the commercialization of Everest, they also ensure that this is done in a way that maintains Buddhist traditions as part of the Everest experience. Of course, one of the undeniable reasons why Sherpas lead Everest is the need for money. Even this, with a deeper reading of Buddhist teachings, is not in itself objectionable. Although Buddhism opposes the excesses of materialism in the pursuit of happiness, Buddhism recognizes that a certain amount of material wealth promotes happiness, especially wealth obtained simply by living. Guruge describes in his book that there are a number of “happinesses” that come from wealth. The most important for our purposes is that of Anavajjasukha[1], the happiness that comes from impeccable conduct. That is to say, Anavajjasukha is the happiness that someone gets by earning money by doing something that is right and worthy, in fact all wealth not obtained from illegal or otherwise immoral activities, such as prostitution, selling weapons or crimes. (Gurude 86) In this way, Buddhism suggests that the wealth that Sherpas derive from their work is not something wrong, but rather a means to achieve happiness, in the form of enjoyment of material wealth and pride in the work they do . .However, these are only arguments that suggest that they are not at fault. Considering what would happen if the Sherpas no longer offered their services, it becomes clear that they are indeed performing a great service, in complete harmony with the teachings of the Buddha. As established frequently throughout the book Into Thin Air, Everest causes people to act in ways that seem crazy. Summit fever, the irrational and all-consuming desire to reach the summit, is a powerful force that grips individuals both when they are near the summit and when they are thousands of miles away. For men like.