Optimism & Endurance

When reading Endurance by Alfred Lansing, I thought about a post Agathe made a few weeks ago about hope and how mental strength was critical for survival in the Artic. After the Caird left the crewmembers on Elephant Island, I was impressed with their optimism: “On this score, their general feeling, at least outwardly, was confident. But how else might they have felt? Any other attitude would have been the equivalent of admitting that they were doomed. No matter what the odds, a man does not pin his last hope for survival on something and then expect that it will fail.” In Endurance, although optimism didn’t guarantee the crew survival, without it, failure was inevitable. For me, Shackleton’s ability to recognize this early demonstrated his leadership skill. He immediately recognizes Hurley’s disgruntlement and yearning for influence on the expedition, and chooses to include him in meetings to prevent him from spreading discontent to the rest of the crew. In order to preserve team morale, Shackleton assigns tents and carefully picks the crew to travel to South Georgia Island, all while considering each individual’s attitude and their influence on the group’s mindset. In their dismal situation, the crew’s optimism, resiliency, and even jubilant attitude helped to ensure their survival and persevere: “So there was always that niggling little ray of hope which kept them climbing the lookout bluff religiously each day. But it also served to slow the passage of time.”