Malinda Seneviratne

Human beings are curious. Their curiosity prompts them to explore the unknown, venture into unmapped territory and test their own capacities to endure. They climb, they sail and they dive to depths never reached before.

Exploration itself is a challenge. Explorers encounter the unknown which could take the form of species and peoples never seen before as well as territories and environmental vagaries they are ill-equipped to handle. So there are costs, monetary and otherwise. Some pay with their lives.

Discovery is a happy byproduct of exploration. We get to know things we never knew before and in the process we, as a species, learn something more about ourselves. Science invariably keeps pace. Those who climb Everest today are far better equipped technologically than was Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. The discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1985 a joint French-US expedition led by Jean-Louis Michel and Robert Ballard in 1985 spurred others to think of further exploration and even commercial ‘visits.’ Scientists and engineers were commissioned by interested investors to develop vessels that could reach those depths and navigate any and every anomaly that could scuttle such efforts.

Obviously there are risks involved. There were at least 14 attempts to ascend Everest before Norgay and Hillary finally succeeded in 1953. Seven Sherpas were killed in an avalanche during an attempt led by Brigadier-General Charles Bruce in 1922. In 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared. The former’s body was discovered only 75 years later.

These tragedies/failures didn’t dissuade other explorers. Since Norgay and Hillary, more than 6,000 people have reached the summit of Mount Everest. And who can tell how many tried and failed and how many actually reached the summit long before it became ‘a project’ that was recorded?

We don’t know if all the determined people who attempted what had never been achieved before Norgay and Hillary were cautioned by friends, family and experts. It’s safe to say that some of them may have been told, ‘it has never been done before, so it cannot be done.’ A bit like ‘THE Revolution.’  Never been done therefore impossible, some would say. 

Just the other day we had James Cameron, director of the 1997 blockbuster ‘Titanic,’ drawing parallels between the wreck of the ship and the implosion of the submersible ‘Titan’ a few days ago. The Titanic had been warned about ice; the Titan was warned that since the vessel did not meet voluntary industrial standards there was the possibility of ‘minor to catastrophic’ outcomes.

The end? No. Tragedy is taken as a challenge by some people. There will be others convinced they could do better. There will be other investors who will commission other engineers and other experts to build a better submersible and they will no doubt learn from the mistakes of those who designed the Titan.

There were Sherpas, many of them in fact, and explorers who used their expertise to ascend Everest. The experience of the likes of Bruce, Mallory and Irvine would certainly have been invaluable to Norgay and Hillary. Every scientist who came up with an invention that has made life easier for all of humanity, stood on the shoulders of giants who came before, learnt from his or her numerous failures. Therefore, in a sense, those who designed and those who died on Titan have not really failed. They were ‘crazy,’ one could argue, but then again anyone who attempts or envisions that which has never been done before is invariably dismissed or vilified. Crazy, stupid, frivolous, unreasonable etc etc. They all earn such tags.

They inspire, nevertheless.

The Titanic was not the last ship, passenger liner or otherwise, British or otherwise, to venture into the North Atlantic Ocean.  It is unlikely that the Titan would be the last commercial submersible to attempt a Titanic wreck look-see.  The need to design a better vessel will probably generate technological innovation that could be used in other situations as well, some good and, invariably, some bad. That’s how it goes.

So, even as we are sad about the fate of the Titan’s passengers and appalled by media preferences that result in far worse tragedies being ignored, let us spare a moment at least to meditate on the fact that their efforts, dreams, adventurous spirit and, yes, even frivolous insanity may not be in vain. Let us spare a moment to be appreciative of those who attempted and failed to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Let us spare a moment for the unnamed and unknown who were crazy, creative and absolutely courageous and thereby added value to the human spirit.