Lessons from Endurance

The Morning of May 20, 1916 started out as a typical day at Stromness Bay. Located on the remote South Atlantic island of South Georgia, this isolated station served as the home for gritty sailors and hardy workers employed in the whaling industry.

Being so remote, the citizens of Stromness enjoyed few luxuries, and few special events. Probably the most exciting thing to have happened in their cold corner of the world was the opportunity to play host to Ernest Shackleton's ship, The Endurance, and the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. That was December of 1914, and both the expedition and the famous Shackleton had been missing for over 540 days, presumably lost at sea or frozen dead somewhere in the unforgiving landscape of the Antarctic Circle. But at 3 o'clock that afternoon, these secluded whalers of Stromness Bay would play witness to one of the greatest moments of modern day exploration.

Breaking the monotony of the days labor, three figures approached the small harbor. In what must have been the first time ever, these strangers approached the harbor settlement on foot, not by sea. They had come from the mountainous interior of South Georgia island, a landscape considered largely inhospitable.To the citizens of Stromness, these figures appeared otherworldly; faces black, beards unkempt, and tattered coats of skin. The image of these men was enough to send some younger Stromness boys running in fear.

A gathering crowd greeted the strange party in awed silence. When the senior figure of the mysterious trio spoke at last, he did so in perfect English. He requested an audience with the head of operations stationed at Stromness Bay. His request was granted.

Workers brought the men before the manager of Stromness Bay, Mr. Petter Sorlle; an experienced Norwegian captain and inventor. He must have looked on these men in perplexity and trepidation...

"Well?" Sorlle inquired tersely.

"Don't you know me?", asked the senior member of the trio disbelievingly.

Now more puzzled, Sorlle responded "I know your voice. You're the mate of the Daisy."

"My name," answered the man, "is Shackleton."

Against all odds, the entire 28 man crew of the Endurance had survived being shipwrecked, marooned, and starved in perhaps the most inhospitable corner of the planet. And while the ship Endurance itself had not survived, the virtue of endurance sustained these men through the worst circumstances bred by mother nature, and ultimately carrying them back to safety.

If ever you get an opportunity to read about the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, I would highly recommend it. In it, I have found some of the most impressive accounts of courage and determination. For me, it became a profound example of brotherhood and heroism. But aside from profound respect and admiration for Shackleton and the men of the Endurance, I enjoyed the lessons that their hardships had impressed upon my mind. I found comfort and encouragement that I might be able to personally apply lessons of endurance in my daily endeavors.

Life presents us all with hardship and difficulties, and even though they might not reach the extreme levels endured by Shackleton's crew, these trials can still take place in a cold, hopeless, and unforgiving environment. Understanding the circumstances of Shackleton's wrestle with mother nature can help you better understand your untapped capacity to overcome, withstand, and endure.

These are the lessons I learned from Endurance:

There are no rescue parties:

Far removed from our world of instant and consistent communication, Shackleton's company adventurously set out for the most remote and largely unexplored territory of the world. The trip was risky, even by today's standards.

Until that morning of May 20, 1916, no one in Shackleton's company had seen or heard any sign of human existence for more than a year. So lonely and isolated had they become, that upon hearing the whalers steam whistle on that May morning, Shackleton, Frank Worsley, and Tom Crean, paused for a long moment of emotional reverence and suppressed joy.

For the rest of the world, no one knew of the plight of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. No comprehensive searches or inquiries were commissioned. No rescue attempts were planned. The world assumed Shackleton had failed, perishing in an icy or watery grave. Without any news or communication going to or  coming from the outside world, the fate of the Endurance crew seemed all but sealed. There would be no rescue party, and they knew it.

The world in general will regard your hardships with total indifference, if it is to give any regard your hardships at all. Most people do not know your struggles, and even more people don't even care to know. This is the first lesson of Endurance: There are no rescue parties.

I know this sounds cold and unfeeling. Understanding this may induce fear and anxiety. But this is an important truth you must embrace if you are to endure. For the men of the Endurance, this understanding was their reality; their misfortune. But it was also their salvation. They understood that their circumstances were uniquely their own, and as such it was within their power to do something about it. In fact, they were the only ones who could do something about it.

Shackleton and company knew the precariousness of their situation. They knew that their world at large was in the midst of the global conflict (known to us now as World War I). The global community and their beloved British Empire would have had their hands full and their minds preoccupied with the immediate crises before their own eyes. Likewise, we should understand that our social circle is also dealing with their own struggles. They too are blind to your plights. We find luxuries such as sympathy and charity in short supply, especially if we expect them from others who are enduring their own difficult circumstances.

Knowing this, Shackleton and company chose action over inaction. Instead of hoping for an unlikely rescue, they actively endured by taking stock of their situation, their resources, and their talents; combining them towards a collective goal of enduring and surviving.

To endure is to act. It does not mean sitting still. It does not mean waiting it out. Those who have learnd to endure things well have learned to act and to not be acted upon.

This does not dismiss the charitable efforts offered by loving family or friends. Neither does this mean that we should be distant and aloof towards the plight of others. Of course we should still provide aid were we can, and support where we must. What I think this lesson illustrates is that a man with no family, no friends, or no immediate source of relief has the same capacity to endure as the man who is fortunate enough to have all these things. If we understand that there are no rescue parties, we understand that our ability to endure is not dependent on the aid, comfort, or succor provided by others.

Friends cannot rescue you from depression. Spouses cannot save you from loneliness. Siblings cannot deliver you from anxiety. Parents cannot spare you from the consequences of an aimless life. Though they're intent may be pure and their efforts noble, others will not save you. They will not rescue you. They cannot rescue you.

Full relief, full recovery, or full rescue is on your shoulders… no one else’s.

This thought should empower you. It is within your power to overcome! Other's may assist or facilitate, but you are the one in absolute control of your rescue.

You get what you need... but only when you need it:

With limited resources and wretched conditions, the survival of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition lived in a state of constant serious need. In short time, Shackleton and company lost one luxury after another. Things we consider a necessity, such as dry clothing, solid shelter, and readily available water, were rarely enjoyed during their months-long struggle. If they were able to sleep, they often did so in melted puddles created from their own body heat. If they were able to eat, they often did so in severely rationed portions. If they were able to work, they often did so in clothes soaked in sweat, sea water, and icy chunks. However, when their situation seemed most dire, relief came at the exact moment to meet an exact need.

Food in the form of seals and penguins who crossed their path just as rations depleted.

Ice packs broke apart and drifted just moments before the ice flows upon which they camped capsized into the frigid waters of the Weddell Sea.

They reached islands just as water sources turned brackish and undrinkable.

On occasion, the sun would shine just enough to convert miserably drenched rags into manageably damp clothing.

For the crew of the Endurance, they seemed to exist miracle to miracle, with prolonged and uncomfortable periods of suffering and misery in between. Even so, relief came in a series of minor (even imperceptible) miracles. They had their needs met... but only when they truly needed it.

The human spirit seems to understand this implicitly. It is a common theme in art, literature, and cinema, that at just the moment where all hope seems lost, victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. Somehow, Gandalf the White finds a way to save Helms Deep. Iron Man finds the 1/14,000,065 chance to save the universe. The Patriots come back from a 28-3 deficit to win a championship in the final quarters of the Superbowl. Our needs get met, but only at a time and manner specific to our greatest need.

Recent experiences have taught me this principle on a very personal level:

Nothing matters more to me than the privilege of being a father. Of the many experiences I have had, the most significant and fulfilling ones I have enjoyed I have enjoyed in the capacity of a father.

In recent years, I've endured some incredibly unpleasant moments where my paternal competency and integrity has been called into question in a very public fashion. The works of slander, manipulation, and gossip have run rampant, impacting my life in ways I could never have imagined. Though unfortunate, and unnecessary, these are my circumstances. I have found enough strength and confidence in my life, that these circumstances rarely have an impact on me... rarely.

No one lives under these circumstances totally unscathed and unimpacted. From time to time, enough doubt, frustration, and heart-ache can lead someone to question and doubt themselves, even with all evidence to the contrary. This has been my experience from time to time. At times, my spirit feels anchored and buried in grief and resentment. When I think about how my mental weariness might be impacting my abilities, anxiety only worsens things. Though few and far between, these moments unfortunately darken what should be a bright day.

Precisely at one of those moments this week, a dear friend offered his thoughts and assurances without any solicitation. I was touched by his very specific and very pointed compliments, each addressing a vulnerability or doubt I had been experiencing just moments before reading his words. I hadn't recognized that this was a need I had, and it came at a moment precisely when I had needed it most.

Our needs are met when we need it, not when we think we need it.

With that in mind, it is important to remember that relief like this may not be the final solution. It rarely is. But it is the necessary solution for a necessary time. The mana that fell from the heavens did not solve the Israelites main problem of entering the promised land. Harvested seals and penguins did not solve Shackleton's main problem of returning to civilization. This type of help facilitates, it does not intervene. If we are to endure towards victory, WE must endure. WE must earn the victory. WE must outlast.

For the final grueling descent into Stromness Bay, Shackleton, Woresly, and Crean all felt the very real presence of a fourth companion who did not appear at the whaling station. Of this fourth companion, Shackleton wrote:

"I have no doubt that providence guided us... I know that during that long and racking march of 36 hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers it seemed to me often that we were four, not three."

It would appear that this fourth companion had appeared in a time of need, and their presence helped propel their rescue party towards success. Even still, it was the three, and not the fourth, who endured, outlasted, and earned the victory.

It is worth knowing that this was at the tail end of their struggle. They had already suffered and accomplished so much. Their experience, and many others like it, would seem to support the promise offered in Ether 12:6:

"... for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

You don't know your own strength:

Strength comes in many forms. For Shackleton's crew, survival depended largely on their ability harness and apply physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength.

For the crew of the Endurance, setbacks, bad-luck, and misfortune were the norm... not the exception. Mere months into their 500 plus day exile, plans A through Z had already been exhausted:

- They couldn't reach mainland Antarctica when their ship became trapped in ice flows.

- They couldn't seek shelter onboard their ship when the ice pack slowly crushed it to pieces.

- They couldn't camp on the ice-flows indefinitely as they broke apart beneath their feet.

- They couldn't haul their rescue boats toward open sea as they were too heavy to pack.

- They couldn't keep alive their sled dogs while preserving enough food and resources for themselves.

Plans A through Z failed abysmally, and they were left in constant peril, with each day getting incrementally and progressively more precarious.

Shackleton constantly concerned himself for the safety of well-being of his men. Aside from preserving their physical strength, he dedicated himself to preserving their moral, their mental strength, and their emotional strength. Shackleton's ability to preserve and then strategically call upon the strength of his men was a major contributing factor in their ability to endure.

At that point where you think you have given everything, every ounce of grit, blood, and courage, know that you have really only scratched the surface of your immense potential. You cannot know what you truly can give, or how far you truly can go until you are in the thick of adversity itself. Even then, you are simply experiencing a taste of the potential that you have within you; a potential that increases substantially with each passing hardship.

Ironically, the same elements that seemed intent on killing the crew of the Endurance likely contributed to their developing strength sufficient to endure the harrowing ordeal of surviving the Antarctic Circle, crossing the Weddell Sea, and finding help on the island of South Georgia. In similar fashion, our challenges and difficulties can serve as stepping stones towards greater resilience. Or they can become stumbling blocks that weigh us down into total despair. That choice is ours to make.

I think this is what God means when He promises that "[He] will not suffer [us] to be tempted above that [we] are able". When He promises this, He is giving us a little glimpse into our potential to withstand and overcome. Some people have faced some of the most intense trials and hardships, and even so He knows that they are able to endure them. In fact, He would have us know that we are uniquely qualified to face our personal struggles.

Wise men in history have a unique understanding of this. Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelias would discourage us from asking "Why, God, did this happen to me?" Instead, we should proclaim "Thank God this happened to me!"

"I can bear it without pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearful of the future. Because such a thing could have happened to any man, but not every man could have borne it without pain. So why see more misfortune in the event than good fortune in your ability to bear it?"

- Marcus Aurelius - 

Thank God! Because I can handle this.

Thank God! Because I am uniquely qualified to handle this.

Thank God! Because others might not be able to handle this.

You can handle your hardships. You can overcome.

When your day feels cold and miserable, you can draw on deep hidden stores of strength. When your in those moments of dire need, you will find your needs met. And when your environment is dark and hopeless, you will find that it is entirely within you to rescue yourself from the hardships that beset you. This is what it means to endure.