"Man can sustain life with very scanty means, and the trappings of civilization are soon cast aside in the face of stern realities."
-Sir Ernest Shackleton, South

It is my estimation that very few people in the history of people have ever experienced the hardships that Sir Shackleton and his crew faced while in Antartica. I am not finished with the book, but it has been quite incredible to read what all has happened to him an his crew. They got stuck on a floe for an entire year. Their ship eventually got crushed under the pressure of the floating ice. They made for land, but had to try to make way in survival rafts across the antarctic seas. They have been eating seal and penguins, and every once in a while, drinking warm powdered milk. Sounds fairly rough if you ask me.
With everything that is going on, engagement, leaving for China, selling things, packing things, watching the Constant Gardener, I am just reminded how much worse off I could be. Not the best perspective, but stick with me. Once I remove my gaze from my microscopic bubble of influence, I see that this world is bigger than me. Ernest Shackleton did not survive out of sheer willpower, he and his crew maintained a positive attitude and were willing to do what it took to survive. The going will get rough, and sometimes I will just have to "eat meager rations of seal meat and drink melted ice." Noel had some very good things to say along these lines. I guess great minds really do think alike.

Comments

  1. Caleb18/8/06

    Shackleton is an amazing story and a very good read. It is incredible what you can do if you can maintain a positive attitude and keep your focus!

    ReplyDelete

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