I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.
Tracy KidderMany people find it easy to imagine unseen webs of malevolent conspiracy in the world, and they are not always wrong. But there is also an innocence that conspires to hold humanity together, and it is made of people who can never fully know the good that they have done.
Tracy Kidder...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.
Tracy KidderThings were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place in the world and in time
Tracy KidderAnd I can imagine Farmer saying he doesn't care if no one else is willing to follow their example. He's still going to make these hikes, he'd insist, because if you say that seven hours is too long to walk for two families of patients, you're saying that their lives matter less than some others', and the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world.
Tracy Kidder