There are quite a few people who--like me--love the mountains and to watch the sky. When we look up at the higher mountain slopes, clouds, and sun during the day, or the moon and the stars at night, the images rush over us, lift us up, give us hope. I believe getting attached to high things has to be a human condition.

Maybe we all are mountain climbers, in secret, agonizing inch by inch trying to rise to a higher altitude in one way or another, physically, mentally, emotionally or psychologically. Our reaching up -our hoping for the better, our attempting to raise ourselves- is evident from our language.

Those in commanding positions, those higher-ups who are high born, high and mighty, high-bred, highly esteemed, or high class are always placed on something high like a dais, an altar, or a throne because we attach high hopes to their existence while they sit on their high horses. We even address them as his highness, or her highness. They are high priests and high priestesses, high society, upper class, upper crust, higher creatures, high souls, higher-ups, and those upstairs.

When something is better, more wanted, or it rises above others, it goes up the ladder and it becomes high as in high grade, high income, high-level status or high status, high life, high point, high noon, high-octane, or high price.

When we feel someone is better or knows more than the rest, we say he is up there, above the line, high flown, upscale, upstanding, aboveboard, high brow, high-minded, high spirited, high-powered, upper cut, high profile, upwardly mobile, even high toned.

When we win or want to show friendship or to indicate being on the same side, we gesture with high-fives. We show approval with another gesture; we give a thumbs up. When somebody showers too much attention to somebody else, we say: She thinks that he hung the sun and the moon.

When stock prices go up they become high fliers; their trade upsurges ; and their quality is said to be from the high end. Anything moving to a better position is high flying. When we take the ethical view we take the high road. When we are in a good mood, we are in high spirits.

Holy days are sometimes called high days; vivid colors, high colors; advanced education, higher education or higher learning; advanced math, higher mathematics; designer clothing, high fashion or high style; large scale financial transactions, high finance; and major or accented anything is the highlight of total and is highlighted by a highlighter.

Along the same line of word-reasoning, among the two letter words, the word up has a lot of meaning. We grow up, speak up, line up, wake up, tone up, turn up, mark up, upgrade, store up, put up, ante up, climb up, sweep up, swing up, open up, uphold, clean up, bring up, build up, upsize, go up, come up, rise up, gather up, keep up, uplift, light up, jump up, spring up, lead up, or start up.

As our language shows, we are drawn to high things and to those who like to climb the high peaks, in physical or spiritual sense and who cast their light of hope into our hearts.