Touching the Void: A Religious AnalysisThe story of Joe Simpson's struggle to survive the descent from a dangerous drop into the Siula Grande is without no doubt heroic and a presentation of the limits of man. Although this story has been widely praised and adapted into literary and cinematic form, audiences debate the religious nature of Joe's experience on the mountain. Some claim his experience was nothing more than self-realization, especially since Joe is a self-proclaimed atheist. However, an experience of self-actualization is categorized as a "fully truthful experience" (Stanford), and also emphasized as "the realization of a capacity or aspect of our soul, and by extension, an aspect of our true nature as Being” (Nirmala). ). For these reasons, Joe's journey could only be a religious experience. During his journey, he experienced strong hallucinations and a guiding “voice” that he was not aware was part of himself or his subconscious. He views them as guiding forces that are in constant opposition to his natural instincts, and firmly believes in the strength of these forces even after his safe return and recovery. Joe Simpson's incredible struggle to survive the harsh conditions of the Andes is heavily influenced by forces that are undeniably aspects of religious experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first sign of his religious journey are his hallucinations, brought on by suffering, fasting, and constant physical and mental pain. In many religions, fasting is a voluntary tradition that sometimes triggers religious experiences. However, in this case, Joe's lack of food and water forced him to mentally transcend the realms of fact and fiction. The first step towards Joe's transformation is to focus on his bodily needs. He says: “Water has become an obsession. Pain and water. It was my world. There was nothing else” (164). This narrowing of the mind is found in religious traditions of depriving oneself of bodily needs, and the transcendence of this need leads to Joe's next experience, hallucinations. Joe hallucinates in many ways, sometimes waking up not knowing where he is, sometimes imagining a song repeating over and over in his head, and even imagining that Simon is with him. He begins to lose control of reality when he can no longer distinguish his own voice from other imaginary voices. He recalls: “The whispered arguments startled me awake and I wondered who I had been talking to; several times I looked behind me to see who they were, but they were never there” (179). The significance of these hallucinations is not that Joe becomes unconscious of them, but that Joe is aware of other aspects of his world besides pain, suffering, and cold. He becomes more in touch with himself and the depths of his mind during this mental struggle, and also thinks about companionship in a new way. This hallucinatory hell is a revealing element of a religious experience, since he is no longer conscious of his physical body and his correct mental well-being. Although Joe's hallucinatory episodes were a significant factor in restarting his religious experience, the primary and most notable factor in this event is "the voice." “The voice” is something Joe refers to early and often during his painful descent, and it becomes his.