FSS Newsletter :: February 2003

FSS Spotlight :: Being a Survivor in the Real World

Despite its tremendous popularity on US television , there are some people who may not ever have seen the show "Survivor." People from all walks of life were basically stranded on a remote island with very minimal supplies and told to survive. It is a contest. There have been challenges/events for each of the two original "tribes" of people to do. The loser of each weekly event had to vote one person off the island, reducing their tribe's size.

They have eaten rats, bugs, sea snakes, build shelters, fished, and basically "survived." Now it is down to only one tribe, blended from the original two. The prize, offered by the television company airing the program, is $1 million cash to the remaining "survivor."

They have shown edited clips of fights and gossip and other conflicts among the men and women there. We have seen the deadly and dangerous snakes and lizards, which live there who also present a hazard.

A spin-off show started 2 weeks or so ago called "Big Brother." Ten people were carefully chosen from thousands of applicants, and they are supposed to live together in an 1800 square foot "house" for 39 days. Each week, they select two people to leave, one of whom, by majority vote, will be "kicked out" the following week. The surroundings are much nicer than the island, but the personality clashes, decisions to be made, and challenges facing this diverse group of men and women who are on camera 24 hours a day in this house remain.

Think about our life. Who are the real survivors there? What qualities do it take to "survive," to get along with others, to stay healthy, to maintain a healthy emotional and spiritual equilibrium? The same things it takes for these other people who tens of millions of people are watching on television. I have listed a few qualities and attitudes I have identified.

See how they fit into your life at home and work, and to what degree they help you "survive." There are many more things that could be listed I am sure, but these seem the most obvious to me:

1. The ability and willingness to compromise with others. "Flexibility."

2. Having and maintaining a positive sense of humor

3. Having a purpose and goal, and a plan for staying "on track."

4. Not allowing other people's words or opinions to affect you in a negative way.

5. Being honest with yourself and with those around you.

6. Setting personal "boundaries" and telling people close to you or who are affecting your life what they are.

7. Loving yourself for who you are and what you do, and respecting the same in others.

8. Thinking long and hard before you attack or criticize someone.

9. Keeping an open mind about people, regardless of their physical looks, their race, age, background, religion, or sexual gender preference.

10. Realizing that every human has his/her strengths and weaknesses and has something you can learn from them. Each person also has something to contribute to the world and to you, if you allow yourself to recognize it and to embrace it.

Regardless of who wins the money on either of these television events, each person is a winner. They are learning about themselves by being put in with
strangers in adverse, stressful and crowded conditions. They are also learning about how wrong they can be about "first impressions" they have about other people.

They are learning how strong they can truly be internally when the going gets tough. Each person will emerge from these experiences more empowered, and with a deeper understanding about themselves and human kind in general. That will be worth more to them than any amount of money they might win as they live out the rest of their life.