What it Means to be Resilient

In reading the excerpt from Unbroken, it becomes clear that Louie holds all the characteristics Cherry lays out in her article. However, out of all the characteristics in Cherry’s article, I believe that awareness is the one that allowed Louie to survive his 47 days at sea. It was what enabled him to help keep his friend Phil alive as well, and Mac for as long as he did. He was able to think clearly in the crazy situation he was in and figure out new ways to stay alive.

As the most basic example, Louie was aware of the sharks circling their raft. He paid attention when they were getting too close, and pushed them away with his oar. Had he not been paying attention, the sharks could have attacked their raft, leaving them with nothing. This would have effectively ended their time at sea. In doing this, Louie is also showing that he is able to problem solve. He simply pushes the sharks away when they’re getting too close, and the problem is gone for a period of time, and they’re safe.

Getting the raft in the first place is another example of Louie being aware of his surroundings. He first noticed that it was floating too far away from him to get it, and almost gave up. However, he kept calm and noticed that the raft had a rope attached to it and was able to get the raft that way, bringing them to safety.  Many people in a situation such as this would have given up, believing that there was no hope for their survival. Thankfully Louie took a different route and got ahold of the raft.

Louie was also aware of the pilot fish swimming around the sharks, and was able to figure out how to catch one before it swam away. By doing this he was able to extend their lives further, allowing he and Phil to survive their time at sea. This is another example that goes hand in hand with Louie’s problem solving skills.

Unfortunately for Mac, he seemed to be the exact opposite of Louie, and even Phil. He wasn’t too badly hurt from the crash, but he was the first to go. Even Phil, who began the journey with blood pouring out of his head, made it further than Mac. He simply didn’t have the characteristics of resilience he would have needed to survive. Even in the beginning, he climbed up onto the raft on his own volition, while Louie helped Phil up. I believe that this is the first example of him not being able to have a social connection with the other members.

Awareness is ultimately what allowed the pair to survive the plane crash. Louie was able to stay calm and pay attention to his surroundings, which saved their lives. He also displayed the other characteristics of resilience throughout their journey, such as problem solving and locus of control. Unfortunately, even though he and Phil showed these characteristics, it wasn’t enough to save Mac from his own lack of resilience. This just goes to show that resilience really can save lives.

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