In the Washington Times this week there came a report of a climber who was left to die on the slopes of Everest.

Mark Inglis, an amputee on atrificial legs, defended his group's decision to leave David Sharp, a man they found dying on the side of the mountain.

"At 28,000 feet it's hard to stay alive yourself. He was in a very poor condition, near death. We talked about [what to do for him] for quite a lot at the time and it was a very hard decision," said Inglis.

The group moved on, after some of the group's leaders shared oxygen with Sharp.

"About 40 people passed him that day, and no one else helped him apart from our expedition," added Inglis.

This is a simply amazing story. Perhaps while the party "talked ... for quite a lot of time" and shared oxygen they should have returned, with Sharp, to save his life.

Indeed, thought that way the sharing of oxygen seems almost cruel, prolonging but not preventing David's death.

But perhaps it was too much for the party to risk, since the $35,000 trip to the summit might be endangered. But then again, on a strictly monetary basis, a human body is worth approximately $45 million.

I do not pretend to know much about climbing Everest, or climbing in general. But Sir Edmund Hillary does, and he criticized Inglis' group and others, saying:

"Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain." (according to the New Zealand Press Association).

Ah, the importance of a human life. I do not think the 40 climbers that passed Sharp realized the potential of a human life. It seems that the world, at times, has pivoted on the accomplishments of a single human being. Who was it that they stepped over, the next Pasteur, the next Mozart? Certainly, they stepped over someone's son during their pursuit of their own goals.

The lesson here is not just for the mountain - we must look to ourselves, and realize how many times - even in a single day - our own goals are set well above the needs of others. It may not appear as clear a choice and Inglis', but we do make the choice every day.

In sorting out this question of moral ethics, one could simply use the maxim, "Do not do unto others what you would not want done to you."

Perhaps Mr. Inglis, whose legs were amputated due to frostbite from a 1982 expedition, should have understood that.

Discuss this post in our Forum.