Atanas Skatov for "above" as a philosophy and way of life 

| 22.01.2021 | new, man and nature

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Or why is every step up in our personal path a hope for humanity?

 

Atanas Skatov is undoubtedly one of the awakeners of our time, able to snatch us from the sleep of inert everyday life through his bright example. Not only because of the many physical barriers he overcame as a high-altitude climber, but mostly because of the philosophy of his aspiration to peaks that are not only geographical.

 

Ten years ago, he decided to change his life. He turns his back on the passive consumerism that today's times of abundance have taught us, and takes the steep path to conscious existence. At that time Skatov was in Berlin and practiced his profession as an agronomist in plant protection in a large company, but made a sharp turn returning to his native Sliven, where his great adventure began. The need for change matured in him for a long time, until in 2012 he decided to exclude animal products from his menu. As an agronomist, he is well acquainted with the black statistics on the state of the planet and especially the damage caused by the food industry such as agriculture and animal husbandry.

Atanas Skatov is a climber

Skatov believes that if each person reduces his consumption of animal products to 50%, we will protect the Earth's resources for future generations. But now our planet is exhaling, so action is urgent. The reason is the growing human population. From a population of 2 billion after the Second World War, we are now 8 billion. These are all more people to feed and require the cultivation of more and more arable land at the expense of forests and jungles. 70% of them are used to raise food for animals, which, in turn, then become food for humans. The absorption of such excess space from the territory of the Earth naturally leads to the destruction of ecosystems, the extinction of species, climate change. But also environmental pollution, due to the huge amounts of methane that is released from livestock and destroys the ozone layer. This leads to global warming and melting glaciers, resulting in rising humidity and ocean levels. Animal excrement from farms is a sure polluter of water. They seep through the soil and reach groundwater or are even discharged directly into water bodies. Livestock is also a huge consumer of drinking water. The figures are eloquent - more than 1 liters of water are needed to produce 16 kg of meat, while between 000 and 1 liters of water are needed to produce 600 kg of cereals.

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This whole frightening picture leads Atanas Skatov to the conclusion that we have very little time to turn the wheel back. The arrows have already been measured 11 o'clock, and if midnight strikes, the loss will be irreversible. He decides to start the change on his own, just as anyone can. We don't have to wait for governments or businesses to take responsibility when we are all part of a living organism on Earth. The decisions and actions of all of us are connected and invariably affect the life status of the planet. Therefore, Skatov first became a vegan, and then, to prove that although deprived of animal food, a person can achieve remarkable physical and mental results, he is serious about sports and mountaineering.

 

He is 34 years old when he first meets the mountain. But the meeting is fateful. First he climbs the peaks near Sliven, and then he aims higher and higher. Having never played sports before and without any mountain training, Skatov became a self-taught climber. Among the peaks he finds the answers to many existential questions. He regains the balance that we often lose down in civilization, and he understands why heights have always been mentioned as the home of the gods. According to the western civilization of Olympus, Zeus lives, and in Asia it is believed that the Himalayas are the abode of saints and supreme teachers, but for Skatov every peak is sacred. Guided by the philosophy that "above" is not only a physical quantity, but also a spiritual one, he does not stop at anything on his way to elevation.

Atanas Skatov is a climber
In his biography Atanas Skatov has 20 expeditions, details of which he does not stop sharing in his numerous media and public appearances. He is a frequent guest at events and forums, where he not only shares his experience in the "white wasteland", but also in his role as a motivational speaker encourages people to keep looking for a better life for themselves and for humanity. He is the author of seven books, the last of which, entitled The Seven Continental Princes, was published soon. This book-album, as the title suggests, is dedicated to climbing the highest peaks on the seven continents of the planet. Atanas Skatov is a pioneer in the endeavor because he is the first Bulgarian, as well as the first vegan in the world, to climb all seven. The book is a kind of diary of expeditions, where every step of the traveler is described by days. His encounter with new cultures and their quirks, the necessary equipment, routes and nature specific to each place, as well as his personal challenges in the face of these giants.

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Skatov's superhuman achievements also bring him many public awards. He has been awarded many times for his sports and environmental activities, but at the end of 2020 he received the award "Honorary Torchbearer of Peace" from the international organization "Peace Run", which seems to unite everyone else. Skatov emphasizes that the connection between his philosophy and this prize is the word "humility", at the root of which is "peace". Because the path to prosperity passes through humility.
Atanas Skatov is a climber

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