In 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in hissailboat when it struck something and sank. He was out of the shippinglanes and floating in a life raft2, alone. His supplies were few. His chanceswere small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later（the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck on a life raft alone）, he wasalive, much skinnier than he was when he started, but alive.
His account* of how he survived is fascinating. How he ingeniouslymanaged to catch fish, how he fixed his solar still, which evaporatesseawater tomake fresh water, is very interesting.
But the thing that caught my eye was how he managed to keephimself going when all hope seemed lost, when there seemed no point incontinuing the struggle, when he was suffering greatly, when his life raftwas punctured" and after more than a week struggling with his weak bodyto fix it, it was still leaking air and wearing him out to keep pumping itup. He was starved. He was desperately dehydrated;. He was thoroughlyexhausted. Giving up would have seemed the only sane" option.
When people survive these kinds of circumstances, they dosomething 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 gutsto 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 myselfthese 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 offor when my problems seemed too overwhelming. And every time I vesaid it, I have always come back to my senses.
The fact is, our circumstances are only bad compared to somethingbetter. But others have been through much worse. I ve read enoughhistory to know you and I are lucky to be where we are, when we are, nomatter how bad it seems to us compared to our fantasies. It s a sanethought and worth thinking.
So here, coming to us from the extreme edge of survival, are wordsthat can give us strength. Whatever you re suffering, tell yourself youcan handle it. Compared to what others have been through, you re lucky.
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