It was a strange place. There was a large mountain filled with obstacles, and creatures called “people” were born to climb it; people were born to compete against each other to the top. The only rule of this competition, if that’s you call it, was that whoever could make it to the top of the mountain was considered a winner. The person at the top of the mountain became the leader of all those climbing below him, and stayed the leader until something caused him to fall off the top of the mountain. For years, I have been watching this competition. I have seen people climb, and people fall. For all these years, the consistent pattern was that there were always much more people at the bottom of the mountain, compared to the top. The problem for some was that the climb was too hard. But the biggest problem was that most of the people at the bottom were lazy, and did not even try. Throughout my years of watching, I have noticed that many people come close to reaching the top, but for some reason, suddenly take a wrong step and fall to the bottom of mountain, where they must start their climb again. I have also noticed that if you’re at the top, and all those below you don’t like you, they will throw things up the mountain or find other ways to knock you down. This mountain has existed for ever, and I am getting very bored of watching it. It is boring seeing the same thing again and again; a lot of people at the bottom of the mountain, and only a few on the top. Usually those that are born at the bottom, stay at the bottom, and only those who were born in the middle or near the top decide to attempt a further climb. The main issue about this competition is that once someone reached the top of the mountain, they thought they had no where further to go. They would sit there until a wind or someone else knocked them down, or they would make friends with people who pull them down the mountain, or while looking down from the top, they would trip and fall to the bottom of the mountain. Not everyone who gets to the top stays there. Basically, the main problem about this competition is that once you reach the top, there is no where else to go.

However, if you look closely at the top of the mountain, you will see an old plank of wood. It is a broken plank of wood, with cracks and chips. It looks small now, but once upon a time, the plank was larger than the top of the mountain. Once upon a time, a person made it to the top of the mountain, but instead of just wasting time and pretending that he was above the rest, this person decided that the view from the top of the mountain was gorgeous, and wanted others to see it too. This person wanted others to have the chance to be at the top, so seeing that there was only enough space for a few people, this person decided to expand the tip of the mountain, so that there was more space for more people. This person realized that he couldn’t climb higher than the mountain itself, if he had nobody to help him. This person knew that he had to bring others up to the peak, in order climb beyond the clouds. He began throwing ropes down the mountain, to help pull people up. His goal was for people to stop competing and start working together. He wanted the top of the mountain to be larger than the bottom; he wanted an inverted mountain.

Now that this person is gone, the dream is gone too. People who reached the top did not want others to reach it too; they wanted the top to themselves. I look at the plank of wood and I wonder what would have become of it, if the person who placed it there, was still alive. Would it have become longer or would it have become a bridge? All I know is that when I look at the plank of wood, I see the beginning of a new way of living. Whether it is good or bad, I do not know. What I do know is that this game of one person winning all the time is getting boring to watch. This competition to the top has not resulted in anything particular amazing for the human species; it only gives to individuals. I think that it is time to change the game. And to me, I believe that a game called “How to fit everyone at the top of the mountain” may be more fun to play, and to watch.

It is time for people to create the Inverted Mountain.