The topic of survival fascinates me, and especially the non-physical sides of it. I am not so interested in the mechanics of surviving an avalanche, or the knowledge of how to build a shelter out of sticks and how to build a rabbit snare – I want to understand the mindset. Why do some survive all sorts of calamities, whereas others freeze or panic, or just give up?
Gonzales has got some really interesting points. First of all, what leads people to make the – in hindsight – obviously stupid decisions, ignoring glaringly obvious warning signs, that lead to a possibly lethal accident? Among the answers:
- habit – it’s always worked before
- stress leading to confusion
- rigidly following an outdated plan, when reality changes
- holding on to an incorrect mental model of the world even when the map doesn’t seem to match reality
- taking shortcuts, being in a hurry
- group dynamics – not wanting to be the coward, or the one to slow everyone down
- underestimating the forces of nature, the weight of snow, the force of falling from a certain height, the power of ocean waves
- unwillingness to turn back, to give up – the uncertain but hopefully nearer goal is more tempting
And second, what does it take to survive one, after it’s happened? The right mindset.
- focusing, not give in to the shock and confusion of realizing that you’re lost
- have a reason to live, something or someone they want to survive for
- not giving up, even though surviving looks hopeless
- not expecting rescue, not counting on God to save you
- positive thinking: taking delight in small victories
Interesting fact: the youngest children often have very good survival rates, because they follow their instincts. They rest when they’re tired, crawl into a hollow tree when they’re cold. On the other hand, kids between 7 and 12 years of age have one of the worst survival rates, because they think more like adults (and less instinctively) but they cannot yet control their emotional responses, and panic.
On the minus side, the book is not very well organized. It sort of has a structure, but is mostly built out of case studies. The key points lost between anecdotes and quotes.
There’s too much talk about Gonzales’ father and what a cool survivor guy he is, and there are silly attempts to bring chaos theory and self-organizing systems into the picture.
Finally, the book was too narrow for my taste. There’s too much focus on risky adventure sports. (Although there were ordinary cases of getting lost in the woods, too.) I would have preferred something more varied – surviving PoW camp, or an ordinary fire.
Underlying it all is the view that you’re not living a full life unless you engage in activities that could lead to your death, and ideally survive a few accidents that almost do lead to it. This view that your own preferences are universal, that everyone should live life your way, is immature and annoying.
On the whole, it’s got its points but it’s not very well written, and I come away from it slightly disappointed.
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