As you gain elevation [on the mountain] your IQ goes down — but your emotional affect goes up, which is great for having a mythic experience, whether you want to or not.

Source: "The Long Now." TED2004. Feb. 2004. Conference Presentation. Additional Information: This quote by Stewart Brand, environmentalist and futurist, is about elevation, or altitude. In high altitudes, there is less oxygen, which diminishes your intellectual capacity. However, the lack of oxygen also enhances your emotions, which could lead you to have a spiritual experience at a high altitude, such as when climbing a mountain. The quote is from Brand's 2004 TED Talk about finding an inaccessible place to keep a clock that will track the next 10,000 years, and his team's eventual decision to store it on Mount Washington. Watch the full TED Talk here: Stewart Brand - The Long Now

“The Long Now.” TED2004. Feb. 2004. Conference Presentation.