3

Compelling Direction

We have arrived at our climbing camp at the base of the Big Horns, ready to attack one of the several peaks stretching across the horizon before us. As we sip our coffee, maps of climb routes laid out before us, our leader poses the Big Question: “All right then, which one shall we go for? Cloud Peak? Bomber Mountain? One of the others? What do you think?” Opinions are ventured, objections raised, and alternatives proposed. By the time we bed down for the night, some members of our team have become more committed to their prior preferences than they were before the discussion. The feelings of others, including the leader, range from frustration to irritation. And we still have not decided which peak we will ascend the next ...

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