From: jimruttshow8596
Lawrence Gonzales, author of numerous books including Deep Survival, discusses the nature of survival, drawing on true stories, cognitive science, and his own experiences [00:02:22]. His work explores the blend of autobiography, complexity science, and shocking true stories of survival [00:02:28]. Deep Survival is considered a life-changing book, highly recommended for its insights into human behavior under extreme duress [00:01:39].
Background and Influences
Gonzales’s interest in survival was deeply rooted in his father’s experience as a B-17 bomber pilot during World War II [00:03:07]. His father’s plane was shot down over Düsseldorf, Germany, on January 23, 1945, at the age of 23 [00:04:49]. Despite being at 27,000 feet and having his left wing torn off by flak fire, his father survived the fall while unconscious, waking up on the ground inside the cockpit chunk [00:05:12]. A German soldier attempted to shoot him, but the pistol misfired, and a German officer intervened, claiming him as a prisoner of war for interrogation [00:06:06]. This incredible story, which Gonzales grew up hearing and later realized was true, sparked his lifelong interest in survival [00:07:09].
Gonzales himself has explored dangerous professions, including immersing himself with the Chicago Fire Department in the mid-1980s [00:07:56]. He wore turnout gear and was taken into burning buildings to help, realizing he was putting his life in their hands and trusting them completely [00:09:08]. This experience led him to work closely with firefighters across the country on decision-making processes [00:10:01]. He also spent time with Illinois state’s attorneys police during drug busts, carrying a sledgehammer and participating in raids [00:12:29]. Additionally, he became an instrument commercial pilot, flying aerobatic aircraft, fighter planes, jets, and helicopters, influenced by his father’s history [00:14:40]. As a journalist, he began investigating airline crashes in the early 1970s [00:15:16].
Core Concepts of Survival and Decision-Making
Staying Calm (“Cool Cognition”)
A primary lesson in survival is to remain calm and not panic [00:15:49]. Emotions are referred to as “hot cognition,” while calm is associated with being “cool” [00:15:52]. Remaining calm is essential for clear thinking [00:16:18]. Emotion and reason function like a seesaw; intense fear makes clear thought difficult, but focusing on thinking clearly can reduce emotional arousal [00:16:50].
The story of the USS Indianapolis, sunk in World War II, illustrates this [00:17:11]. After 900 sailors were dumped into shark-infested waters, only 317 survived [00:17:22]. One officer found sailors in a lifeboat who had given up [00:17:42]. He pulled out his pistol, dismantled it, and gave each man a piece to clean [00:18:00]. This seemingly purposeless, deliberate, organized activity helped wake them from their stupor, demonstrating that rational, step-by-step actions can help reorganize thoughts and restore composure [00:18:11]. Being “cool” means forcing oneself into deliberate action [00:18:44].
Training for Emergencies
Only 10% to 20% of untrained people can stay calm and think clearly in a survival situation [00:19:17]. However, this ability can be trained [00:19:40]. In high-stress situations, people do not invent new behaviors; they fall back on those they have already practiced [00:20:05]. If one practices desired behaviors in daily life, they will be better prepared for emergencies [00:19:54]. An FBI agent who practiced snatching a gun from an assailant’s hand reflexively did so in a real-life situation, then automatically gave the gun back, highlighting how ingrained practice can override conscious thought under stress [00:20:16]. This shows that everyone is constantly practicing something, and intentional practice can shape responses in a crisis [00:21:14].
A survivor builds an “account of commitment” over a lifetime; the more invested, the more resources one has when trouble arises [00:22:06]. This is a Zen-like approach to life, where preparedness is a continuous process [00:22:19].
Perceive and Believe / Be Here Now
One of the “twelve traits of survivors” is to “perceive and believe” [00:22:49], which can also be described as “be here now” [00:22:54]. This means acknowledging what is actually happening without trying to make it what one likes, what it was yesterday, or what one thinks it ought to be [00:23:01]. Gonzales demonstrated this by canceling a trip to Santa Fe weeks before the global pandemic intensified, realizing the situation was real and not business as usual [00:23:27].
An earlier experience reinforced this principle: Gonzales chose not to fly on a DC-10 for a business trip in May 1979 because his research into airline crashes led him to believe the aircraft was deeply flawed [00:26:00]. His former boss and colleagues poked fun at him, but the plane he was supposed to be on, American Airlines Flight 191, crashed, killing all 273 people aboard [00:26:37]. This event underscored the importance of walking one’s own walk and acting on one’s beliefs [00:27:52]. Similarly, his daughter, a lifeguard, stopped her friends from entering dangerous ocean waters on a trip, correctly predicting a drowning risk [00:28:21].
Humility and Avoiding Overconfidence
Peer group pressure can erode correct action [00:28:49]. An example involves snowmobilers, warned about avalanche danger, engaging in “high marking” (racing up hills) due to adrenaline and peer influence, triggering an avalanche that killed several [00:29:00]. The pull of emotion and the desire to conform to group behavior can be irresistible, potentially overriding individual judgment [00:30:00]. For social creatures, being in the group is a matter of life and death, making status and group acceptance very strong influences [00:30:48]. However, humans have the capacity for rational thought, and practicing thinking rather than reflexively reacting can improve outcomes in emergencies [00:31:14].
Gonzales emphasizes humility as a crucial element of survival [00:30:30]. The story of Captain James GABA, an Army Ranger, who drowned during a commercial rafting trip on the Gauley River, illustrates the danger of training for one environment and overconfidence [00:48:45]. Army Rangers are trained to be completely self-sufficient and not accept help [00:49:17]. When the raft hit a rock and GABA fell into the water, he pushed away the guide who tried to rescue him, seemingly indicating he didn’t need help, and subsequently drowned [00:50:00]. As one survival instructor noted, “the Rambo types are the first to go” [00:50:22], highlighting that no matter one’s credentials, humility is necessary because unforeseen dangers always exist [00:50:33].
Another example is a rafting trip on the Illinois River where conditions suddenly worsened [00:51:00]. Some people pulled over, recognizing the danger, but others continued, making excuses like “we had to drive for 12 hours to get here” or “we’ve never had any trouble before” [00:51:38]. This illustrates how individuals convince themselves to do the wrong thing [00:51:50]. Being an “expert” sometimes means having made mistakes more times than others, clinging to past successes even when conditions change [00:52:01]. There is “no shame in turning back from the summit,” and intelligent adventurers understand “there’s always another day” [00:52:36]. It’s crucial to assess the “risk-reward loop” and consider what one is willing to lose for a particular reward [00:53:02].
Impact of Physical and Mental Impairment
Judgment, or lack thereof, can be severely degraded when physically or mentally impaired by factors like hypothermia, dehydration, or fatigue [00:53:30]. Hypothermia, in particular, famously sneaks up on people [00:53:55]. Two ice climbers on Mount Washington, known for having “the worst weather in the world,” died of exposure because they rushed, forgot their rope, skipped eating, and became hypothermic [00:54:13]. As their bodies succumbed to the cold, their ability to reason deteriorated, leading them to continue despite deteriorating conditions [00:55:55].
Fatigue is not just being tired; it’s a “deep systemic wound to the system” or an “energy deficit” that can take days or weeks to recover from, unlike simple tiredness [00:56:53]. In a survival situation, it is crucial not to get fatigued [00:59:02]. The right approach is often to take it easy and rest a lot, perhaps using no more than 60% of one’s capacity, to avoid falling into a state of deep fatigue [00:59:09].
Motivation and Helping Others
Survivors often motivate themselves by living for others, such as family members back home [01:03:04]. Helping someone else transforms a person from a victim into a rescuer, providing a crucial sense of control [01:03:31]. This internal locus of control, where one believes they can do useful things even in terrible situations, fosters a positive and optimistic attitude [01:03:57]. Studies show that this positive outlook can even improve immune system functioning [01:04:10].
Doctors and nurses, for instance, tend to survive better in critical situations because they have people to help [01:04:29]. A whitewater rafter trapped in a “strainer” (a tree fallen across water) found superhuman strength to pull himself out after thinking of his four-year-old son, demonstrating how powerful emotional motivation can be [01:05:05]. This taps into a reserves of strength greater than what is used day-to-day, accessible through intense emotional states [01:06:11].
”Normal Accidents” (Complex Systems)
Sociologist Charles Perrault’s concept of “normal accidents”, developed from studying industrial accidents in complex systems like nuclear power plants and airlines, posits that accidents are inherent to the nature of such systems [01:06:56]. These systems experience a power-law distribution of mishaps, with many small incidents and occasional huge ones [01:07:16]. Simply applying technical fixes to identified hazards can sometimes make the system more complex and prone to failure [01:07:36]. This idea applies to wilderness adventure, the stock market, and even social and biological systems, such as the coronavirus pandemic [01:08:16].
A tragic example is a mountaineering accident on Mount Hood where multiple groups were roped together but not to the mountain [01:09:17]. When an upper group fell, they dragged down a middle group, who in turn dragged down a lower group, creating a “suicide pact” [01:09:35]. The accident escalated, drawing in more complexity and victims, including a rescue helicopter that crashed [01:11:08]. While such “normal accidents” are inevitable in complex systems, individuals can strategize to avoid becoming part of the system’s failure [01:09:08].
The Psyche of Being Lost
The experience of being lost triggers a dire emergency response because it separates individuals from the group and familiar environment, threatening basic needs like food, water, and safety [01:18:46]. When unintentionally lost, people typically panic [01:20:06].
Interestingly, little kids tend to survive better when lost than teenagers or even some adults [01:20:22]. Young children do not yet have a developed concept of “lost” and often assume their parent is lost, not them [01:20:46]. They act on natural survival instincts, like drinking from a puddle or getting into a hollow log when cold, without panicking [01:21:03]. Teenagers, having developed a sense of spatial awareness, realize they are lost, panic, and often run themselves to death, sometimes even running through populated areas without recognizing they are no longer in the wilderness [01:21:17]. Older people tend to stay calmer [01:20:37].
The story of Vito Sakuni, who broke his leg five miles into a solo cross-country ski trip in Grand Teton National Park, exemplifies ideal behavior [00:59:31]. Despite the high stress, he immediately sat down, unpacked his gear, set up his tent, made a hot drink and a meal, and assessed his equipment [01:00:16]. This deliberate, step-by-step action helped him stay calm and nourish himself [01:01:02]. He then devised a strategy to scoot on his butt, motivating himself by dedicating every hundred moves to something he loved and wanted to return to, such as his wife, guitar, or cat [01:01:54]. He successfully got himself out, demonstrating the principles of “perceive and believe,” staying calm, thinking, analyzing, planning, and taking decisive action [01:01:38].
Ken Killip, an experienced firefighter and hiker, became lost in Rocky Mountain National Park after separating from his hiking partner, York [01:13:49]. Killip, who was slower, had the compass while York had the map, a critical mistake [01:14:28]. Rushed and exhausted after being driven back by afternoon weather, Killip went down the wrong drainage and panicked [01:15:07]. He engaged in classic lost person behaviors, running around and attempting dangerous climbs, injuring himself [01:15:45]. Despite having all the necessary survival gear in his pack, he initially hesitated to start a fire, but eventually came to his senses, built a fire, calmed down, and was rescued five days later [01:16:11]. This illustrates how even experienced individuals can make critical mistakes under stress and how cognitive degradation can occur.
Positive Mental Attitude
A “positive mental attitude” is at the core of survival, encompassing humor, optimism, and coolness [01:22:40]. Humor, especially dark humor, serves as a coping mechanism, detoxifying potentially poisonous situations and reducing stress [01:32:05]. An optimistic view, even in bad situations, can improve immune system functioning [01:33:11]. This links to the concept of “locus of control”: survivors view the world as something they can control, having agency and skills to improve a bad situation [01:34:07]. They see “adversity equals opportunity” [01:34:21], focusing on how to benefit or work with a negative event rather than succumbing to pessimism or learned helplessness [01:34:57].
Survival Training
Formal survival training is highly encouraged for its mental advantages in life [01:27:42]. In “primitive survival” courses, participants are dropped into the wilderness with nothing and must build their kit from scratch, learning skills like making fire without conventional tools, or tracking without a compass [01:25:01]. Such training can instill emotional self-sufficiency and a mental edge [01:29:07]. Learning to build a debris shelter, for instance, can allow someone to survive a blizzard in 20-below-zero temperatures [01:28:44].
[!INFO] “The main difficulty with neophytes who go into the wilderness is that we face the same challenges that the experts faced. Nature doesn’t adjust to our level of skill.” [01:11:50]
Surviving Survival
Gonzales’s follow-up book, Surviving Survival, addresses the often-overlooked aftermath of extreme events [01:19:15]. While Deep Survival focuses on the event itself, Surviving Survival explores the idea that surviving an extreme event is a traumatic experience in itself [01:30:19]. The event isn’t truly over once rescued; survivors cannot simply return to their regular lives [01:31:01]. They embark on a new journey of reinvention, asking, “Who am I now, and what can I do?” [01:31:10]. Many survivors make drastic life changes and must address issues like PTSD, anxiety, or relationship troubles [01:31:47]. Surviving Survival serves as a guide to resilience, helping individuals navigate the process of figuring out their new lives after a world-changing event [01:31:36].