Sherpa: Breaking with Tradition Because We Have a Choice

By Steve Casagranda

Sherpa is not a book about mountaineering. It is a think book written as an imaginary journey through places of ice, rock, and snow, similar to a trek through the Himalayas. The story begins at advanced base camp and spans three peaks of understanding on subjects such as problem solving, the power of giving, and eliminating certain forms of ego that no longer work in our favor, before returning to advanced base camp. Personal stories, observations, and experiences that the author has had make for an entertaining and interesting journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jun 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490735207

Steve Casagranda

Steve Casagranda lives in Portland, Oregon, in the northwest region of the United States. Steve was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1955. He lived on Kauai, Hawaii, for six years, between 1987 and 1992, where he wrote his first book, Presents of Mind. Portland, Oregon, has been his home for the past fourteen years.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Introduction

Chapter 1

Onward And Upward

Chapter 2

Some Thoughts On Being Stumped

Chapter 3

Happy Accidents

Chapter 4

Let’s Go Back In Time, In More Ways Than One

Chapter 5

Into The Ring And Out Of The Woods

Chapter 6

The Battleground Saturday Market

Chapter 7

Some Rules Of Thumb

Chapter 8

My Favorite Sherpas

Chapter 9

Twenty-First-Century Children

Chapter 10

Connecting The Dots

Chapter 11

11Er Steve

NOT ALL WHO WANDER

ARE LOST

J. R. R. Tolkien

INTRODUCTION

Sherpa is not a book about mountaineering. It is a think book.

Sherpas in the Himalayas are guides who take their clients to the top of mountains like Mt. Everest and K2. They are reliable guides because of their previous experiences in climbing and summiting these nearly impossible to reach mountain tops. They know the way to the top in no uncertain terms, and it is unlikely that anyone could reach these heights without their guidance and expertise.

This book is a metaphorical trek that leaves advanced base camp and traverses three mountain tops that cover problem-solving, ego, and the Power of Giving. These are lofty places of understanding intended to enlighten and inform any who dare to take the challenge.

In the Himalayas, as the group of climbers near the top, the Sherpa steps aside and allows their clients to summit on their own power, and it will be no different should you choose to accept the challenge and allow me to guide you to these places that you may not even know exist. I can take you only so far; it will be up to you, the reader, to summit on your own power if you can.

The idea of a metaphorical trek through the mountains is fictional. However, to get my readers to where I’d like to take them, I’ve strung a collection of real-life stories and experiences that culminate to a resounding conclusion. This eclectic collection of adventures and observations are what have made me who I am, your humble Sherpa.

CHAPTER 1

Onward and Upward

I’m so glad you’ve finally arrived at the advanced base camp. I’m Steve Casagranda, and I’ll be your Sherpa on this expedition. Yes, we are going to take a trip together, and it is definitely not up and through the Himalayas to the top of some mountain like Mt. Everest or K2, although I do plan on taking you to some lofty places. There is a definite destination, but where we are going is not a place made of matter. We will not need oxygen tanks, although when we get there, you might wish that you had one, because it is a breathtaking place. They could be considered… places of understanding. I admire your adventurous spirit to follow along because I can tell you this much—I’ve been to some really unbelievable places, and I want to take you there and show it to you so you can experience it for yourself! Places you might not believe exist, but do. Fantastic places! Places beyond belief! Places beyond your wildest dreams! I’ve been there and know for certain that they exist.

When we get there, I’ll point it out, and we can unfurl our flags. And just so you know, we are not going to summit just once. We will be going from peak to peak to peak until we come full circle and arrive back here at the advanced base camp.

Sherpas who guide people to the summit of peaks in the Himalayas, like Mt. Everest and K2, charge a certain amount of money for their guidance—up to fifty thousand dollars or more per person—and they keep the money whether the people they guide make it to the top or not.

I must adhere to that same policy. That may not seem fair until you see it from the Sherpas’ perspective. I have a roping crew, who has been sent out ahead of us. When we reach treacherous terrain, they will go before us and secure the ropes. Then I go and you follow, got it? At the end of the journey, they should get what they deserve for their contribution. You might not have known about compensating the roping crew or other expenses I’ve already encountered, so looking at things from a different perspective, from the right perspective, will be a huge part of this expedition.

It’s not always going to be easy, but I’m sure I can get you within inches of the top. But only you can get you there. Only you can take that final step and reach the goal on your own.

I can only guide you to these places. That’s what you paid me to do. I can get you close to the top, but it will be your job to actually reach the summit. Sherpas do not carry their clients. They carry equipment, and I’ve got all I can handle. It’s not my job to haul the client too. Sherpas are guides. Even if you are six inches away from the summit, I will be unable to get you to the top, and it’s not because I don’t want to help you. I do, but I won’t be able to, because I cannot break the laws of physics. You will have to reach the summit on your own power. If you can, you can; and if you can’t, you can’t. That’s why I cannot refund you your money; besides, I’ve already spent it.

I have all the confidence in the world that when we near the top, you will be able to take the next step and get to where I want you to go. Deal? Thought so.

I can always find my way to these places of understanding, but the route I’ve taken in the past is a nonexistent course. It’s the only way to get to a place that is not made up of rock, snow, and ice. A route you may question at times, but I know where I’m going, and I know exactly how to get us there. I will pursue the exact same unplanned, aimless course that the tumbleweed follows as it drifts in the wind. So don’t be alarmed if I take you in strange directions, because I know the terrain as well as I know the back of my hand, and I’m fine with whichever way the wind blows.

In the past, when I went out on long treks, I would be gone for years. My first solo trek took more than twenty years to complete. I always go somewhere, by myself, and return to report on my findings. Then I take others on shorter, more condensed journeys; avoid all the pitfalls, the dangerous places, and less-than-interesting sites; and center in on the more fascinating characters, subjects, and locations.

If you haven’t read Presents of Mind (PoM), my first book, I suggest you get a copy and read it first. Understanding this book is not dependent on reading the other; it’s just that others on our expedition may have, and that’s why they’re here with us now. If you are one of those people, welcome back. If this is your first excursion with me, then, welcome. Those who haven’t read it are just as well equipped to journey with us on this expedition. It’s merely a side trip, one of many that I suggest you consider taking so you can see the big picture better, and, at the same time, if you don’t know me, it’s a way for me to gain your trust. Because, after all, I’ve been known to have explained in writing what a raspberry tastes like, and those are some pretty hefty credentials.

There will be more than one side trip for you to contemplate as we go forward. You can read this book for a while, and if a side trip is suggested, you could stop, take the side trip, and then continue on reading. I’ll be waiting right here for you. On our quest, as the reader, it would be to your advantage to take these scenic bypasses as the book progresses; after all, you’ve paid good money to go on this expedition, and I want you to get the most out of it. You could take them when you finish reading the entire book too, but they may not have the same impact as if you explored them as we go along. You don’t have to take any of them if you don’t want to. It’s just that your journey might be a little more meaningful and enlightening for you if you did as we move along. If you don’t take any of them, you might miss the whole point of the expedition. I will tell you now that there is one side trip that I will practically insist that you take, and we’ll get to that in due time.

If you are not in the position to take these side trips as you read, you could always come back to them later and explore them on your own time. You booked the trip, so you may do as you please. They are part of the excursion for you to enjoy or pass on if you wish, with the one exception. Side trips are not mandatory. You have paid me to lead you on a journey, and if you don’t want to go everywhere I want to take you, you don’t have to go. I know what I’m doing; I have a plan. I have it all mapped out.

I have explored on my own for decades, and I have come across places I never expected to find—these unbelievable places that I have mentioned. When I explore, I never really have an agenda. I like to just go with the flow and see where it takes me. I like to just let things happen. And although I have visited some really awesome places here on Earth, I never intended to discover places that don’t seem to exist, but do. My real desire is not to take your money, but to take you to these places and prove to you that dream worlds are as real as the world you currently reside in, and you can move there and stay there for the rest of your life. You’ll never have to pack a box or move one piece of furniture. I’ve got it all planned out.

Preposterous, you say?

Think about this: When someone came up with the wheel, probably some cave person, our civilization, the human race, changed for the better, and anyone who lived before that time had to do things in a less intelligent way or in a more primitive way. The invention of the wheel didn’t spread to all corners of the world overnight. It seeped into our lives very slowly because it was invented in even more primitive times than the one we currently live in. It may have taken hundreds and hundreds of years, even centuries, for the wheel to come to fruition. But eventually, it spread throughout the entire planet, and we all benefited from it because, in a way, it’s a transportation device. If you own a car, motorcycle, or bicycle, or have taken a bus or train, you have benefited from that invention. Today, we use wheels on our most advanced airliners and even the space shuttle. It was a simple idea that works as well today as it did back in the Stone Age.

Nobody really knows the geographical origin of the wheel, and if the world worked in the past in the same way that it does today, I’ll bet that more than one person invented the wheel, in different parts of the world, and did so at about the same time in history past, give or take several hundred years.

Today, as we enter the twenty-first century, there is an ever-growing set of people who are breaking new territory in the realm of understanding the human mind and have discovered things that are new to our ways of thinking. These discoveries in thought will have the same widespread implications that the wheel did because these ideas are, in a way, the new transportation device. They have been designed to get us to where we need to be. And just like the wheel, these discoveries will change our world for the better, and anyone who lived in the past, and some people who are alive today, had to do things and will continue to do things in a less-than-intelligent way. They thought, and still think, in a more primitive way and will continue to do so until they are introduced to, and accept, these new ways of thought. Even with the aid of the Internet and the World Wide Web, these discoveries will seep slowly into our societies, and it could take hundreds of years, even centuries, to come into fruition because it will be difficult for many to accept seeing things from a new and different perspective. And just like the wheel, eventually, these concepts will affect each and every individual’s life here on Earth. These are simple ideas that work as well today as they will in the distant future.

And, again, just like the wheel, nobody will ever know the origins of these new concepts in thought, but since the world works the way I think it does, today, more than one person will have come up with the same, or similar, thoughts in different locations around the world, at about the same time, give or take several hundred years.

Way in the future, when these discoveries, these concepts in thought, become the norm, people of that time will be doing things that we, today, would conceive as completely mind-boggling. I can only imagine what they will be capable of doing—things that today we would consider magical or mystical. They will have seemingly supernatural qualities and powers beyond our wildest dreams. This is one of the places that you may not believe exists, but they do. I am certain I can get you there, so bear with me and follow along with confidence, because I know that what I have experienced is the truth.

Preposterous, you say?

Well, think about this: As babies, we all started off immobile little beings, unable to move around on our own. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t drive myself home from the hospital. Then as we grew a little, we were able to crawl; we took baby steps before we could take baby steps. Then we learned to walk by literally taking baby steps. It didn’t happen overnight. We gradually grew up, and because we learned to walk, our physical abilities and our mental abilities grew right along with us at about the same pace. Doesn’t it stand to reason then that as the human race advances, our way of thinking as a whole would advance and mature as well? The human race has grown considerably, but we are nowhere near mature just because we’ve gotten to where we are today.

I never intended to seek out the truth, but that is what I discovered, and I found it, by accident. Now that I know where it is, I feel obligated to take you there, and if you’ve come this far, it’s not too much of a stretch to think you can make it all the way to the top and back. We’ll see what you’re made of as you turn the pages, so let’s get going!

HOW I GOT TO WHERE I AM

When I was a kid, Dad made me read books. I wanted to build snowmen. Books were stuffy. Snowmen were fun.

When I was young, my dad’s idea of fun was taking me to the art museum. I preferred the amusement park. Museums were stuffy. Amusement parks were fun!

Dad and Mom wanted me to have good grades in school and insisted on me finishing my homework. I preferred to watch Mister Ed on TV. Homework was stuffy. Mister Ed was fun!

Since Dad was an artist, he would be pleased if I wrote a serious book about art, so I didn’t. Because that would be stuffy, not fun! I wrote a book about living a rich life by giving and receiving; about love and compassion; about expanding your thoughts in order to have a deep, meaningful, and up-to-date life; about being an engaged spiritual being, not just a being making your way through life, here on Earth. And I intend on making it fun because I don’t do stuffy now that I’m in charge of me.

Oh, and by the way, so there aren’t any misunderstandings, as a kid, I built more than a few snowmen, my parents took me to the amusement park several times, and I still watch Mister. Ed!

My father was a very talented artist, and I say that with all the humility I can muster. Part of the reason I have gotten to where I am is because I was told once, by a friend of the family, that I was the perfect blend of my father’s artistic genius and my mother’s German levelheadedness.

Presents of Mind was a book I had written that covered a wide range of topics, including art. This book is meant to be an entertaining and mind-opening expedition filled with wonders that you might not be aware of by trekking to places with me that are unknown to you and your experiences. Stories of art and creativity are a part of this journey. This time our travels will be filled with more adventure and fun because nobody likes stuffy! Do you? Didn’t think so!

I write books as if you and I were good friends having a conversation, albeit one-sided. This, like the last, is another think book. The subject and the message are not really the same, but in a way they are. I intend on going just a bit deeper into problem-solving, but the theme of this book is to relay the importance of having symbiotic relationships and understanding the Power of Giving. In the twenty-some years since PoM was finished, the problem-solving idea has evolved, and other things that I have discovered have made me even more capable than I was twenty years ago.

In the past, I had revealed to myself a problem-solving formula that worked reliably, and I used it every chance I got. No matter what situation in life I found myself in, I could usually improve things because I was aware of how to solve problems.

There have been times when I worked with others, and sometimes, they had a more logical solution to a problem than the one I came up with, and I had to let go of my ego and agree with them. That’s how I’ve managed to grow and evolve, and that’s how I’ve come out on top, no matter what. I win either way.

I’ve had a lot of practice in my profession as a problem-solver, and my credentials are solid. I do have a dependable problem-solving formula that I utilize, and when I add in the wisdom of others and incorporate their knowledge and information, it’s astounding what can materialize and who I can become. That goes a long way in getting me to where I am today.

There was a brief period in my life when I transitioned from a person who resolved problems blindly to being the kind of person who systematically calculated the most logical way to approach and resolve problems by following a problem-solving formula, and the results were as different as day and night. We have always had the power to resolve our problems, but if you ask fifty different people how they do it, you will probably get fifty different answers.

Determining the cause of the problem, coming up with the most logical solution, and applying it is the essence of problem-solving condensed down into its purest form. It’s how we, as human beings, reason. I cannot tear it apart, no matter how hard I try. I can’t see problem-solving any other way, but I know sometimes others do.

Before I wrote my last book, I conducted a survey to see how others resolved their problems, and I got a lot of different answers. I must admit that I got more than a few people who implied that they got answers by relying on their faith, and I appreciate their honesty. Which is another reason I wouldn’t stand in your way of resolving issues if that’s the way you see it.

And just so nobody feels like I’m stepping on toes, let me make a statement right off the bat concerning religion because the most important symbiotic relationship one can have, the one I work in conjunction with the most is a Spiritual Being.

I’m a big believer in God myself, and although I was raised a Catholic, with so many different deities that people believe in throughout the world, I can’t help but think that we are all praying to the same, one, Infinite Intelligence, not necessarily a god of any organized religion, but a Higher Power or a Divine Intelligence. I was raised a Christian, and I have gone beyond what I was taught, and now I put all my faith in something more updated… Source Energy, the Universe or our Creator.

I’m sure a man named Jesus walked the Earth and performed miracles; he was considered a sorcerer by barbarians of that time and was put to death because of his unworldly abilities. I also believe that at other times in the history of the world other mortals with godlike qualities roamed the Earth and performed their own brand of miracles, which spawned other faiths.

No matter what your faith is, if you are religious, the one thing we share is that we believe in a Higher Power, a superior Spiritual Being, a belief that something created us.

I’m not professing that you should change religions or deny your religious faith. Not at all. Like I said, if you are religious and believe in a Higher Power, then that’s a common belief that we both share, no matter what religious backgrounds we have. If we could just get past organized religions and come to the understanding that something created all of us, which makes us all equals, brothers and sisters, and that we have a purpose here on Earth, maybe we could grow and evolve to the next stage of life instead of looking down the barrel of a nuclear missile silo.

I have used definitions like the Universe, Infinite Intelligence, a Higher Power, and other words as generic terms to convey the meaning of God the Spirit, which I know to exist. And I have done so in an effort to keep from offending anyone’s personal religious beliefs. Also, I do not want to offend the atheists and the agnostics.

I want to tell you a story now to set the tone for what I have to say, and I want to thank the Golden Rule Organization at www.thegoldenrule.net for permission to use it.

Here goes:

There was a man who died and was being taken to heaven by angels. But first, they wanted to show him hell (just for the hell of it, I guess).

The angels then took him to a place where there was a great bowl, so great that it was as big as a lake. The bowl was filled with a nutritious stew. All the way around the sides of this bowl were people, emaciated, starving, miserable people. These people had spoons to eat the stew with, which were long enough to reach it from the shore (about twelve feet). The trouble was while they could scoop up the stew into the spoon, they could not get it into their mouths because the spoons were so long, the stew would fall off before they could get it to their mouths. So here were all these pathetic people, suffering and moaning in agony, constantly trying to eat the food that was abundantly in front of them—all in vain. Next, the angels took the man to heaven. To his surprise, he saw the same scene! There it was—a giant lake-like bowl of the same stew, surrounded by people with twelve-foot-long spoons. Yet something was different here—all these people were smiling, happy, and healthy-looking!

Why? What is the difference here that these people are happy and well fed? the man said to the angels.

They replied, Have you not eyes to see? The man looked more carefully and observed that one person would scoop up the stew and bring it to the mouth of another. Then someone else would scoop up stew and feed it to the other.

The angels smiled and said, Here the people feed each other. Here are the people that learned the way of Love.

Sounds like Heaven on Earth. Now that you’ve been told that story, you are standing in the same position; it’s just that you are still here on Earth. With this knowledge, you can now, metaphorically speaking, begin to feed others, or you can choose to starve—it’s your choice. I can’t make you do a thing. I cannot force the change; only you can direct you.

To make it through these metaphorical gates and experience Heaven on Earth, all you have to do is see things from a different perspective. So allow me to lead us through by example.

When I first heard that story about the bowls of stew and the twelve-foot-long spoons, I incorporated that ideology into my life because I liked the thought of treating others as you would like to be treated.

Everybody in Hell who went hungry starved because of their own personal choice to be selfish. When people have a Me first! attitude, an egotistical attitude, then they will be doomed, by their own choice, to less, than if they worked together with others toward a common goal.

All those who were well fed were well fed because of their unconditional generosity, love, and kindness to others. They understood the advantage of engaging in a symbiotic relationship with others, where they fed and worked off each other for everyone’s mutual benefit.

SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Symbiotic relationships are everywhere. You may have one with your husband, wife, or companion. Couples usually work in conjunction for the betterment of both. You may have a symbiotic relationship with whomever you work for, which is a different form of a symbiotic relationship, or maybe you have one with your publisher. Publishers need writers, and writers need publishers. Artists need galleries, and galleries need artists. Employers need workers, and workers need jobs, and when the pay and work expected, match, it’s a harmonious symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties mutually. When put this way, it is easier to see how these kinds of relationships work. A true symbiotic relationship is fair and equal. The relationship works only when both parties work with and for each other and prosper equally. When the relationship is not fair and equal, it fails to function, and it’s not really a symbiotic relationship.

Symbiotic relationships have meaning and can bring prosperity in both personal and professional ways. But the most meaningful and prosperous symbiotic relationship one can have is a spiritual relationship with Source Energy or a Higher Power… with the Universe, all one in the same.

We live in a world where anything can happen, and I know for a fact that you don’t have to believe in a Creator in order to have a symbiotic relationship with it. The Universe works hand in hand with atheists and agnostics too. Without that spiritual relationship though, it’s unlikely that you could have that deep and meaningful life that you could have if you worked hand in hand with the Living Universe.

MY EPIPHANY

For a great many years, I never had a true spiritual relationship, even though I