Remain Positive and Aware

In Kendra Cherry’s article “What is Resilience?” she states that one of the characteristics of resilience is awareness. Kendra defined the characteristic of awareness by saying: “Resilient people are aware of the situation, their own emotional reactions and the behavior of those around them. In order to manage feelings, it is essential to understand what is causing them and why. By remaining aware, resilient people can maintain their control of the situation and think of new ways to tackle problems” (Cherry). Not only do I agree that awareness is a critical characteristic of resilience, but I believe that awareness is the key characteristic that kept Louie Zamperini, Mac, and Phil alive for 47 days.

Louie Zamperini was one of three survivors of a plane crash into the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Amongst Louie, two men named Mac and Phil also struggled for their survival while floating down Pacific Ocean. What made Louie stand out from the other two was his resilience; he kept his head clear, his mind aware, and remained optimistic.

The moment Louie realized what had happened he made a plan to survive. He was aware of his situation and used that awareness to move forward so he could survive. “Louie knew that he had to get Phil’s bleeding stopped, but if he went to him, the raft would be lost and all of them would perish. He swam for the raft” (Hillenbrand, Laura). Louie was able to see the situation he was in and make a decisions to save the lives of all three survivors. When it came to finding food and water Louie used his resources and never gave up; he caught a bird with his own two hands, tried eating it but couldn’t, so he made it into bait and tried fishing. While fishing, sharks consistently took the bait and the hooks, until he finally was able to catch a pilot fish that they were able to eat, once Louie was out of bait, he found a new way to catch fish, “He cut off small portions of line, tied them to large fishhooks, and then tied three hooks to the fingers of one hand, one on his pinkie, one on his middle finger, one on his thumb, orienting them as if they were claws” (Hillenbrand, Laura). Louie was able to grab fish out of the water with this new technique and continuously provided food for the three of them. Louie’s persistence, and ability to push through set backs kept Mac, Phil and himself alive for over a month. Louie knew what was happening and kept his mind sharp, he was aware of the situation he was in and what would happen if he didn’t fight for survival. Louie’s awareness was the number one thing that kept the three of them alive.

Louie was resilient and did everything he could to stay alive, the other two however were not quite as strong as he was. Phil was the most like Louie, in the way that he engaged in conversation to keep them all sane, “Phil took up the challenge, and soon he and Louie turned the raft into a nonstop quiz show. They shared their histories, from first memories onward, recounted in minute detail.” (Hillenbrand, Laura). Mac on the other had was the the least Louie, “As Louie and Phil grilled each other, Mac usually sat in silence...To him, it seemed the world was too far gone” (Hillenbrand, Laura). Mac was the opposite Louie, and he barely helped with anything during their time on the raft. “Mac’s body grew weaker, following his broken spirit”, with Mac’s broken spirit he was unable to keep himself positive and optimistic– the way Louie had.

I have recently learned how important it is to be positive. I went through about a month or two where I just thought everything sucked and it always will. I had to force myself out of this slump, I challenged myself to find something good in every single day for 100 days. I would find things every single day that made me happy, as the challenge went on it was easier to find happy things. Now I do it naturally, I find things everyday no matter how tired I am, how sick I feel, how crappy the day was, there’s something good everyday. When I was in the slump, I was too caught up in the bad to see the good, and that’s a bad place to be. There’s ALWAYS something to be happy about, no matter what, you can find the light in a dark situation. That’s exactly was Louie did, he remained positive even though he was floating in the ocean, surrounded by sharks for 47 days.

Louie’s resilience reveals that he was strong and optimistic no matter the situation or setback he faced. From Louie’s survival story we can learn that by keeping a positive and clear mindset and having faith we can accomplish our biggest setbacks. When others lose control, stress, and panic, be the one to lead the way, and remain calm and positive. Be light for others, stay optimistic, everything will be okay in the end.