A Story of Survival and Courage: Alone at Sea
In 1982, Steven Callahan was crossing
the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. He was
out of the shipping lanes and floating in a life raft, alone. His supplies were
few. His chances were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six
days later (the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck on a life raft alone),
he was alive -- much skinnier than he was when he started, but alive.
His account of how he survived is
fascinating. His ingenuity -- how he managed to catch fish, how he fixed his solar
still (evaporates sea water to make fresh) -- is very interesting.
But the thing that caught my eye was
how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost, when there
seemed no point in continuing the struggle, when he was suffering greatly, when
his life raft was punctured and after more than a week struggling with his weak
body to fix it, it was still leaking air and wearing him out to keep pumping it
up. He was starved. He was desperately dehydrated. He was thoroughly exhausted.
Giving up would have seemed the only sane option.
When people survive these kinds of
circumstances, they do something with their minds that gives them the courage
to keep going. Many people in similarly desperate circumstances give in or go
mad. Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the guts to
carry on in spite of overwhelming odds.
"I tell myself I can handle
it," wrote Callahan in his narrative. "Compared to what others have
been through, I'm fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over, building
up fortitude...."
I wrote that down after I read it. It
struck me as something important. And I've told myself the same thing when my
own goals seemed far off or when my problems seemed too overwhelming. And every
time I've said it, I have always come back to my senses.
The truth is, our circumstances are
only bad compared to something better. But others have been through much worse.
I've read enough history to know you and I are lucky to be where we are, when
we are, no matter how bad it seems to us compared to our fantasies. It's a sane
thought and worth thinking.
So here, coming to us from the
extreme edge of survival, are words that can give us strength. Whatever you're
going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Compared to what others have
been through, you're fortunate. Tell this to yourself over and over, and it
will help you get through the rough spots with a little more fortitude.
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Author: Adam Kahn – “Self-Help Stuff That Works”
Source: inspirationalstories.com
Photo Credit: carinbondar.com
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Note: In addition to writing my own blogs or
stories, I also like to search for stories and other inspiring, motivating, or
encouraging material from around the Web and other people. If you see an
article, story, or photo that you have written or created and want it removed,
please feel free to let me know. I try to give credit to the people and/or web
sites that I find my information when I can.
