Learning from Robinson Crusoe - Isolation Specialist
Originally titled “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner” by Daniel Defoe, it is better known simply as “Robinson Crusoe”. This is a story of many themes, not all correct in today's world.
A young and impulsive young man abandons his comfortable life in search of adventure and riches experiences a string of roller coaster success and failure, freedom and capitivity, hope and despair.
There are quite a few lessons we can learn from this ole work of fiction. Here are a few that I found relevant in the face of what the world confronts presently.
Choose your own adventure
Young Robinson had his life nicely set up for him by his father. He could have had a comfortable life. Yet he yearns for adventure. The "middle station", the safer path just wasn't want he wanted, he desired adventure! I doubt he had in mind being shipwrecked or enslaved as ideas of adventure but such are the consequences of his choice. Who is to say that his life would have been less eventful if he chose to stay home?
The idea of a "right decision" may be a flawed one. There are good decisions and there are not so good decisions. Even a good decision will have with it consequences, sometimes unintended and undesired. Ultimately, it is your decision and along with it, your experiences to be had. It is your journey. Not someone else's.
Be resilient
Robinson’s resilience comes through time and again. In one instance, finding plenty of supplies on the recently wrecked ship but without a boat to transport them onshore, exclaimed: “...must joy always be followed by bitterness!”. He momentarily bounces back as “it is in vain to sit still to wait for what’s not to be had? There are several spars left lying around and a spare top mast. I must work with these!” He improvises and works with what he has to improve his station. When faced with challenges, he finds it within himself to face up to it and be resourceful.
It is ok to feel down from a setback. Recognize it. Sit with it. Accept it. But do not let it get you down. Come back and come back stronger. Be resilient. As Margaret Thatcher puts it, "you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."
It is not a straight line
Success (however you like to define it) hardly ever comes in a straight line. The story might have had its weight tilted to towards the time Robinson spent on the island but his journey there is an adventure by itself. His first journey was a near death one albeit it ended financially successful. His second journey ended up with him as a slave. He escapes and became a successful plantation owner. His next voyage brought him to the very island he will spend 28 years on. What kept him going was his search for success, riches and ultimately survival.
Keep moving forward. The ever wise John Lennon said “everything will be alright in the end, and if it is not alright, it is not the end”. Resilience powers grit. Purpose gives your efforts meaning.
Be grateful
In the midst of his misfortune, Robinson finds a way to "look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoy, rather than what I wanted". He is not blindly positive though, he just doesn't spend as much time dwelling on the negative. He is in distress but is well preserved and has what he needs for survival. What he needs is not a lot, probably less than he thought. Finding a goat and taming it made him happy.
We have to be grateful for what we have. There is no condition so miserable that we cannot find something to be thankful for. "Even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I'm still living" - Paul Kalanithi.
Robinson Crusoe may be a work of fiction but it is believed to be inspired by the life of a real castaway Alexander Selkirk. So let us learn from Defoe's inspiration. Let us not lament about lost opportunities or be too concerned with making the right decision. Embrace the experience and perspectives that comes with the chosen path. Find your purpose and carry on the journey with positivity, resilience, grit and gratitude. Find your inner Crusoe.
#isolation #adventure #resilience #gratitude #grit #purpose #perspective #positivity
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4yHi Kent, thank you for the article. It is sometimes difficult for people to ”Find your inner Crusoe” especially when the storm is hitting them the hardest. I resonate that we all need to find our own adventure and it is especially during these difficult times that our core gets shaken and hopefully we show up stronger than before. Are there other stories that you have read that you can draw similar analogies to?
Author | Banker | Speaker | Coach
4ya few good lessons to learn from Robinson Crusoe's adventure! 👍
Engineer | Banker | Enabler | Explorer | 𝘈𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 Polymath
4yAnd yes, this version is a children's book. But its fun. https://soundcloud.com/penguin-books/robinson-crusoe-by-daniel-defoe-bbc-radio-full-cast-dramatisation