From: jimruttshow8596
Lawrence Gonzales is the author of numerous books, including Deep Survival and Surviving Survival [00:00:34]. He has won multiple awards, such as two Magazine Awards, Distinguished Service Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Montaigne Medal and Eric Hoffer Award in 2018 and 2019 [00:00:55]. His work is described as a blend of autobiography, complexity science, cognitive science, and cognitive neuroscience, interwoven with astounding true stories of survival [00:02:19].
His Father’s Miraculous Survival
Lawrence Gonzales’ interest in survival was deeply rooted in his father’s experience as a B-17 bomber pilot in the US Army Air Corps during World War II [00:03:07]. His father was severely injured upon returning from the war [00:02:53].
On January 23, 1945, during a large bombing raid over Germany near the end of the war, his father’s B-17 was the lead plane in a mission of about 700 aircraft [00:03:20]. As they approached targets outside Düsseldorf, an 88-millimeter cannon fired by a fourteen-year-old boy shot off the plane’s left wing [00:03:51]. The plane rolled onto its back and began spinning, tearing itself to pieces due to centrifugal forces [00:04:09].
Lawrence’s father, then 23 years old and considered a “salty old pilot,” was in the cockpit, which detached from the aircraft [00:04:26]. His commander, Colonel Frank Hunter, next to him, was already dead [00:04:31]. Pilots were supposed to wear parachutes throughout the mission but often kept them under their seats because they were uncomfortable, so Lawrence’s father didn’t have his on [00:04:58]. As he tried to retrieve his parachute, the centrifugal force threw him against the instrument panel, cutting off his oxygen and causing him to pass out somewhere in mid-air [00:05:21].
He woke up alive on the ground, still inside the chunk of the cockpit, amazed to be alive [00:05:41]. A German man approached the wreckage, pulled out a pistol, and put it to his father’s head, but it misfired [00:06:06]. At that moment, a German officer intervened, stating his father was an officer and a prisoner of war who needed interrogation [00:06:17]. Ultimately, the German officer stopped the man from killing him [00:06:27].
“He fell twenty-seven thousand feet and survived” [00:06:35].
This story of survival introduced Lawrence to the concept of survival and made him realize how close he came to not existing, sparking his lifelong interest in the subject [00:07:16]. This powerful narrative serves as the opening “cliffhanger” in his book Deep Survival [00:06:40].
Personal Experiences and Professional Insights
Gonzales’ own career has involved significant exposure to dangerous professions and high-stakes environments, shaping his understanding of survival.
Working with the Chicago Fire Department
In the mid-1980s, for an assignment on dangerous professions, Gonzales immersed himself with firefighters in Chicago [00:07:56]. He spent 24-hour shifts in a firehouse, getting to know the crew [00:08:35]. Eventually, they outfitted him with turnout gear, gave him a pike pole, and took him into a burning house to help put out a fire, an experience he described as “terrifying” [00:09:11]. He realized he was putting his life in their hands, trusting that if they got out, he would too [00:09:44]. This experience was life-changing, leading him to work closely with firefighters across the country on decision-making and safety, including teaching all the firefighters in his hometown of Evanston, Illinois, “how not to get dead” [00:09:57].
Law Enforcement Ride-Alongs
Gonzales also spent time with Illinois state’s attorneys’ police in Chicago during drug busts [00:12:29]. On one occasion, preparing for a bust of a “big drug kingpin,” he was handed a sledgehammer and told to “just don’t say anything, they’ll just assume you’re a cop” [00:13:13]. Though the apartment contained only two small children and no kingpin, the experience highlighted the tension and unpredictability of such work [00:13:21].
Piloting and Airline Crash Investigations
Influenced by his father’s history, Gonzales became a serious pilot, earning an instrument commercial pilot’s license and flying aerobatic aircraft, fighter planes, jets, and helicopters [00:14:28]. He even had the opportunity to ride on and off an aircraft carrier [00:15:02]. As a journalist, he began investigating airline crashes as early as 1972 or 1973 [00:15:13].
His experience with airline safety proved critical in 1979 when he was scheduled to fly on a DC-10 for a book expo in Los Angeles [00:25:06]. Having researched airline crashes, he had concluded the DC-10 was “deeply flawed and a dangerous airplane” [00:26:02]. Despite his former boss’s teasing, he refused to fly on it [00:26:37]. That specific plane, American Airlines Flight 191, crashed on May 25, 1979, killing all 273 people aboard, making it the largest death toll in an airliner crash in the United States [00:26:54]. Several of his former colleagues from Playboy magazine were on board [00:27:04]. He survived because he acted on his “perceive and believe” principle, trusting his research and instincts [00:27:15].
Core Concepts from Deep Survival
The Importance of “Coolness”
A central theme in Deep Survival is the necessity of remaining calm in crisis, or being “cool” [00:15:49]. Emotions are referred to as “hot cognition,” and panicking makes clear thinking difficult [00:15:52]. By concentrating on clear thought, emotion can be toned down [00:16:59].
An example from the book: After the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed, leaving 900 men in shark-infested waters, one officer found a lifeboat with five despondent sailors [00:17:11]. He took apart his service pistol, gave each man a piece, and instructed them to clean it [00:18:00]. This deliberate, step-by-step, goal-oriented activity, though seemingly pointless, helped bring them out of their stupor and reorganize their thoughts [00:18:13]. This illustrates how focused activity can help someone remain “cool” [00:18:42].
Practice and Preparation
Only 10-20% of untrained individuals can remain calm and think clearly in a survival situation [00:19:17]. Gonzales believes this skill can be trained [00:19:42]. The key is to “practice in your daily life the way you would want to be in an emergency” [00:19:54], as high-stress situations don’t lead to new behaviors, but rather a reliance on practiced ones [00:20:05].
”Perceive and Believe” and Acting on Reality
The first of Gonzales’ “twelve traits of survivors” is “perceive and believe” [00:22:46]. This means acknowledging what is truly happening, rather than wishing things were different or as they were in the past [00:22:57]. This principle guided his decision not to fly on the DC-10 [00:27:15]. His daughter, Amelia, demonstrated this as a lifeguard by stopping college friends from entering dangerous ocean conditions, correctly predicting that someone would drown if they did [00:28:09].
Avoiding Peer Group Pressure
Emotion can lead to “herd mentality,” where individuals go along with the group even if it’s dangerous [00:30:13]. An example is a group of snowmobilers, rescue professionals themselves, who ignored avalanche warnings to “high mark” up a dangerous slope, triggering an avalanche that killed several people [00:29:00]. The social impulse to conform can be incredibly strong, as belonging to the group is a matter of survival for social creatures [00:30:46]. However, humans have the capacity for rational thought, and practicing thinking over reflex reacting leads to better outcomes in emergencies [00:31:14].
The Role of Humor
In high-stress professions like firefighting, dark humor serves as a coping mechanism to “detoxify something that could otherwise poison their ability to function,” preventing conditions like PTSD [00:32:05]. Humor also reduces stress, allowing for regaining functionality [00:32:38].
Optimism and Locus of Control
Research on “learned helplessness” by Martin Seligman suggests that an optimistic outlook, even in dire circumstances, improves immune system functioning [00:33:01]. This ties into the concept of “locus of control”: survivors view the world as something they can influence and improve, rather than being victims of circumstances [00:34:07]. For a survivor, “adversity equals opportunity” [00:34:21].
The Dance Between Emotion and Reason
Antonio Damasio’s work is cited to explain that the ability to have an emotional, or “gut,” response is crucial for cognitive decision-making [00:39:29]. Emotion provides a guiding service, preventing overwhelm from too many choices [00:40:02]. The “night shift” (unconscious processing) constantly takes in information, guiding rational selves [00:40:42]. Striking a balance between emotion and reason is essential for survival and is a skill developed through lifelong practice [00:41:21].
An example is an experienced wildland firefighter who pulled his team out of a dangerous fire situation because he had a “bad feeling,” even though he couldn’t articulate why [00:41:41]. The younger, less experienced firefighter who ignored this intuition died [00:42:21]. However, emotion can also lead astray, as in the case of scuba divers who removed their masks underwater due to a deep emotional response to suffocation, despite logical steps to avoid it [00:43:09].
Carrier landings by F-18 pilots illustrate this tension: pilots are under immense stress but must constantly recite rules and maintain concentration while trusting their trained instincts [00:46:15].
The Danger of Overconfidence and Lack of Humility
The story of Captain James Gaba, an Army Ranger, highlights that expertise in one domain does not guarantee survival in another [00:48:20]. Gaba, trained to be self-sufficient and never accept help, drowned during a commercial rafting trip on the Gauley River when he pushed away a guide attempting to rescue him [00:49:19]. “The Rambo types are the first to go” [00:50:20], emphasizing the importance of humility, regardless of credentials [00:50:30].
Similarly, the Illinois River rafting incident showed experienced kayakers who continued despite dangerously high water levels, some dying as a result [00:50:54]. Excuses like “we drove for 12 hours” or “we’ve never had any trouble before” lead people to make wrong decisions [00:51:38]. “Expert often means you’ve done the wrong thing more times than I have” [00:52:01]. There is “no shame in turning back from the summit” [00:52:36]; always assess the risk-reward loop [00:53:02].
Physical and Mental Impairment
Physical degradation like hypothermia, dehydration, or fatigue can severely impair judgment and lead to disastrous decisions [00:53:30]. Two ice climbers on Mount Washington died of exposure after a series of mistakes and physical depletion led them to lose their ability to reason and continue climbing in severe weather [00:54:02].
Gonzales stresses that “fatigue” is not just being tired, but a “deep systemic wound to the system” that requires a long period of recovery [00:56:50]. In a survival situation, it’s crucial not to become fatigued; one should operate at no more than 60% capacity and rest often [00:59:03]. The story of Vito Saccone, who broke his leg while cross-country skiing in Grand Teton National Park, exemplifies this [00:59:31]. Instead of panicking, he calmly set up his tent, made a hot drink and meal, assessed his gear, and decided to scoot back on his butt [01:00:18]. He motivated himself by dedicating every hundred moves to something he loved and wanted to get back to [01:02:00].
Living for Others and Helping
A common pattern among survivors is the motivation to live for others—a spouse, children, or a grandchild [01:03:04]. By helping someone else, a person shifts from being a victim to a rescuer, taking control of the situation [01:03:31]. This internal locus of control and positive attitude boosts physical and mental capacity, even the immune system [01:03:57].
The “Normal Accidents” Concept
Drawing on Charles Perrault’s work on industrial accidents, Deep Survival introduces the concept of “normal accidents” [01:06:29]. This theory suggests that in highly complex systems (like nuclear power plants, airlines, or social systems), accidents are inherent to the system’s nature and cannot be entirely prevented by technical fixes, which often add more complexity [01:07:04]. Like earthquakes, there are many small mishaps and occasionally a huge, disastrous one [01:07:21].
The Mount Hood mountaineering accident serves as a tragic illustration: multiple groups roped together without anchoring to the mountain, creating a “suicide pact” where one fall dragged everyone down [01:09:17]. Furthermore, rescue attempts, like a Blackhawk helicopter crash during the operation, can add more complexity and victims to the unfolding “normal accident” [01:10:40]. The lesson is that while these accidents will happen, individuals can employ strategies to avoid being caught in them [01:09:06].
The Psychology of Being Lost
The wilderness does not “adjust to our level of skill” [01:11:58]. Getting lost is a dire emergency for humans because it removes them from their group and familiar environment, essential for finding food, water, and safety [01:18:56]. While some intentionally experience getting lost for the thrill, unintentional disorientation leads to panic in most [01:19:31]. Interestingly, young children often fare better because they don’t develop the concept of being “lost” and instinctively follow natural survival behaviors [01:20:22]. Teenagers, having developed a sense of being lost but not full cognitive control, often panic and run themselves to death [01:21:14].
Ken Killip’s story illustrates how even experienced individuals can get lost due to emotional factors like impatience, poor decision-making (splitting up, mismanaging gear), and physical degradation [01:13:35]. Killip, a firefighter, went down the wrong drainage in Rocky Mountain National Park, panicked, and made common mistakes before finally calming down, building a fire, and being rescued [01:15:07].
Survival Training
Gonzales is a strong advocate for survival training, believing it provides a “mental edge” and fosters emotional self-sufficiency [01:27:46].
Mountain Shepherd Survival School
At Byron Kearns’ Mountain Shepherd survival school, Gonzales learned about “Positive Mental Attitude” (PMA), a core military concept [01:22:31]. PMA encompasses humor, optimism, and coolness, enabling better functioning in crisis situations [01:23:38].
Vermont Wilderness Survival School
Mark Morley’s Vermont Wilderness Survival School focused on primitive survival skills [01:25:01]. Gonzales learned how to start a fire from scratch without modern tools, using only a rock, a branch, and plant fibers [01:25:10]. He also learned tracking without a compass, using unique natural signs to navigate [01:26:29]. These skills, though perhaps not used daily, provide a significant mental advantage in life [01:29:05]. He suggests that survival training should be part of everyone’s education, perhaps in high school or junior high [01:27:54].
Surviving Survival
In his follow-up book, Surviving Survival, Gonzales explores the long-term impact of extreme events [01:30:19]. He realized that being rescued or self-rescuing is not the end of the event; rather, it marks the beginning of a new journey to reinvent one’s life [01:30:35]. Survivors often experience PTSD, anxiety, and difficulties in relationships, necessitating a focus on resilience and rebuilding [01:31:36]. This process involves figuring out “Who am I now and what can I do?” [01:31:14]. Gonzales notes that the current coronavirus pandemic will likely force many to undergo a similar process, as their “old life isn’t there anymore” [01:32:06].