Reviews…
Surviving
A review of Laurence Gonzales’ Deep Survival-Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
I discovered this book years ago. Bought a copy. Lost it, then years later found an online copy. Losing and finding—it is something of a theme in Laurence Gonzales book.
Gonzales writes about surviving harrowing experiences both in the wild and in everyday life. Drawing on the stories of survivors, personal experience and psychology, he offers us a broad overview of what it takes to survive.
Intuition and deduction both of value
One of his points I found affinity with was his arguing in favour of intuition. It is not some mystical force, more a product of our subconscious mind processing information and passing on its conclusions to our consciousness as unbidden thoughts that unexpectedly appear fully formed. Rather than write intuition off as emotion, we can regard it as a type of reasoning that goes on below the conscious level. It might not be logic of the deductive type—which in a survival situation is of great value — however it offers us conclusions that we can assess using deductive logic to decide what action we take. By learning to trust our intuition we can improve our chances of making better decisions during crises, he suggests.
This is not to dismiss emotion. We experience emotion for a reason — to galvanise us instantly in response to a situation. It is instinctive in the way it triggers metabolic changes that are preparation for action and appear before rational thinking. Emotion is a survival mechanism.
Those who cope
Gonzales delves into the essence of survival and examines what sets apart those who cope in dire circumstances from those who do not. He weaves a personal narrative with stories of survivors ranging from mountaineers dealing with nature’s harshest conditions to stranded sailors to individuals facing life-threatening situations in everyday settings.
In good news for rule-breakers, Gonzales writes that psychologists who study survival say that people who are rule followers do not do as well as those who are of independent mind and spirit in a survival situation. Here’s to the nonconformists, then. Their critical thinking betters their chances.
The Stoics are the best survival instructors, Gonzales writes. As Epictetus said:
On occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use.
The secret is to meet adversity head-on, however this is contingent on someone’s knowledge, physical and psychological condition under the stress of a survival situation.
According to Gonzales, only 10 to 20 percent of people can stay calm and think amid a survival situation, however they are the people who can perceive their situation clearly and who can plan and take action. Confronted with a changing environment, they rapidly adapt, he writes.
Setting foot in the mountains or the forest is to accept that we are exposing ourselves to forces whose strength we might not understand because we no longer live with them as humankind once did.
Mindset and adaptation the key
Blending the physical and mental aspects of survival, Gonzales goes beyond the conventional how-to description of survival techniques common in the literature and delves into the psychology behind decision-making, risk assessment and personal resilience. Gonzales argues that survival is not solely dependent on physical prowess or luck. It is deeply influenced by the survivor’s mindset, their ability to adapt to circumstances and to manage fear and stress.
Setting foot in the mountains or the forest is to accept that we are exposing ourselves to forces whose strength we might not understand because we no longer live with them as humankind once did. To illustrate this, I was told of how a party of experienced bushwalkers transiting open country in the mountains of Tasmania encountered winds so strong they had to crawl in places because standing would risk being blown over. They coped because they were properly equipped for weather like that and because their previous experience had exposed them to trying conditions in the mountains. Prior experience of harsh conditions prepared them psychologically. Others would not be so prepared. The physical and mental hardships of traversing wild, rugged country in bad weather conditions, where the threat of hypothermia is present and when people experience the emotions of anxiety, raise the risk of mental exhaustion and injury.
Distance means energy, Gonzales writes, and we need that energy if we are not found because it is the energy it will take for us to get out. Anyone who has watched the TV series, Alone, has seen this energy equation in action. Contestants talk about it, especially as their time alone in the wilderness moves on. They talk about ‘energy in, energy out’ as their malnutrition from failure to secure adequate food leads to metabolic breakdown, tiredness and exhaustion.
The survivor plans by setting small, manageable goals and then systematically achieving them, but recognises when something is not working and is prepared to stop and start on another idea. The Alone contestants demonstrate Gonzales’ findings about focusing on small tasks. Faced with perhaps months in the wilderness on being landed in an isolated location subject to bad weather including cold as the winter comes on, they prioritise their needs by setting up a camp close to the resources they will need: clean water, shelter from winds and rain, fuelwood for boiling water to purify it, for cooking and for warmth. Many also do the sensible thing of making a reconnaissance of their area while they have the energy to do so. In doing this they build a picture of the terrain and locate additional resources such as potential fishing spots, edible berries and fuelwood.
Faced with a survival situation, the Alone contestants follow the ‘look, think, act’ sequence. Gonzales recommends this, recommending that we use our senses to gather information, a clear mind to analyse it and follow that with bold action. Having a framework like the look>think>act sequence helps us think clearly and focus our thinking and action, and gives us a mental path to follow. Add to this humour to handle strong emotions, he advises, because laughter offsets the negative thinking experienced in trying conditions.
“Learn about basic survival skills and the survivor’s frame of mind, because they come in handy when the trappings of civilisation, or even the financial or emotional support that we take for granted drop away for whatever reason”, he advises in positioning survival skills and mindset as of value in dealing with everyday life.
Gonzales offers a series of thinking and acting tactics for survival situations:
- adopt the look, think, act sequence
- stay calm and use humour while using the fear we experience to focus our thoughts and actions
- set up small, manageable tasks and use personal discipline to ensure you do them
- rational thinking allows us to take control of the situation; “survivors perceive that experience as being split into two people and they ‘obey’ the rational one”; its like having a survivor alter-ego
- take decisive action and be bold yet cautious in carrying it out
- celebrate our successes in completing tasks
- be grateful — we’re alive
- play—“sing, play mind games, recite poetry, count anything, do mathematical problems in your head… the more you have learned and experienced of art, music, poetry, literature, philosophy, mathematics and so on, the more resources you will have to fall back on; search for meaning”
- see the beauty — survivors are attuned to the wonder of the world; “the appreciation of beauty, the feeling of awe, opens the senses.”
- believe that you will succeed — “let go of your fear of dying; put away the pain, do whatever is necessary, have the will and the skill and do not give up.”
Survivors know their abilities and do not over or underestimate them, Gonzales writes. They believe that anything is possible and act accordingly. We get to know our abilities by using them. By doing so we gain confidence based on our abilities. In a survival situation it is not always the strongest who survive. It is the knowledgable, the experienced and the smartest.
The Stoics recommend exposing ourselves to things we do not like to better cope with them when they occur. It is a bit like that old boy scout motto: ‘Be prepared’. For those who could find themselves in a survival situation in the mountains or deep forest, the Stoic’s recommendation would see them going out, properly clad, in cold, windy and wet weather to experience the conditions in the more or less manageable situation of their neighbourhood. It would include loading a day pack and going for a long walk close to home, preferably a route with uphills and downhills. This is psychological as well as physical preparation. It includes gaining familiarity with using the equipment you usually take into the bush by using it at home.
Who benefits from reading Deep Survival? Primarily, it is people who might find themselves in tricky situations. Yet, aren’t they the people whose experience and knowledge make them less-likely to experience a survival situation? That is true, however accidents happen even to the skilled and experienced. It is what they do after an accident that makes what Gonzales writes about so important.
Deep Survival-Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why; 2004, Laurence Gonzales; WW Norton and Co, USA ISBN 10: 0393326152. ISBN 13: 978–0393326154.
