Let’s
put two examples out there to begin with, and see if they can
set the stage:
First
– The North Pole
Second
– The summit of Mount Everest
Two
solid examples of the top of the world. Right? If we asked someone
to name the top of the world, and they came back with either the
North Pole or the summit of Mount Everest, I think we’d give them
credit.
But
the locations are separated by more than four thousand miles.
And even the North Pole comes with two options that need to be
clarified. (Really.)
There’s
the true North Pole, where the world turns. Then there’s the magnetic
North Pole, which involves the magnetic field of the planet (and
actually moves). (And then there’s a third option. Santa’s North
Pole, which is an entirely different conversation.)
With
a pinch of this and a dash of that in place, I ask: Where is the
top of the world?
Like
many things, the answer comes from how you view what is absolutely
a trick question. And view does matter, because the depth of the
tricks in the question go beyond establishing why you are asking.
There’s
a great map of Australia, often labeled as how its citizens view
the world, that depicts the Southern Hemisphere on top. For the
perspective we most normally might expect to see, the entire world
is shown upside down. In the flippy-floppy existence of space,
where up can most certainly be down, it’s one thing to claim that
top and bottom are where the thing spins but quite another to
say exactly which is which.
We
could make an argument that the top of the world is exactly wherever
you want it to be. A ball doesn’t really have a top. Remove the
spin, have gravity pulling things toward the planet’s center,
and it turns out all of us are on the top of the world. The surface
is the top. (Yes? Perhaps.)
Do
a quick search on the internet and you’ll find plenty of places,
from resorts to golf courses, that make a claim on being the top
of the world. On just the first page of results you can visit
West Virginia, New York, Wyoming and Alaska. According to the
brochures, if you’re planning to retire, there’s a community in
Florida looking to place you on top of the world.
The
funny thing about it to me seems to be that while we may not be
able to literally assign a specific location that we all agree
is the top of the world, figuratively it’s a place where we all
want to be. And there may not be another subject that crosses
the line between literal and figurative, opinions establishing
facts, as a discussion about the top of the world.
To
be a bit cute in saying it, it’s a conversation that truly requires
participants to establish the compass before navigating the journey.
Yet, the setting of that compass could very well determine the
answer without a journey.
There’s
a saying that involves the world being at your feet. In many ways,
much the same as being on top of the world. Everything ahead of
you, with you in a great position to enjoy it. And I suppose,
if we’re going to agree on anything, that’s the ultimate point.
On top of the world is wherever you want to be, but most importantly,
it’s appreciating exactly where you are.