The story of Joe Simpson is an example of survival in one of the most hopeless situations. In 1985, two British climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, successfully climbed the summit of Siula Grande in Peru (Wacky Wanderlust [17:30]). However, during the descent in bad weather conditions, Joe broke his leg. Simon helped Joe down for some time, but he eventually was cut off from his partner as Joe fell over the edge of a slope.
Soon, Simon decided to cut the rope on which he was holding Joe since he had no way to save the partner (Wacky Wanderlust [40:30]). As a result, Joe fell onto a glacier, to which Simon later returned, but did not find his partner and headed to base camp, thinking that Joe had died. However, Joe managed to survive as he fell into a large crack in the glacier. Although he was seriously injured, Joe managed to survive, climb out of the crack, and complete the descent on his own. Simpson succeeded when so many people in situations much less dire do not due to his skills, deliberation, and hope.
Joe managed to survive first of all due to his climbing experience and physical shape. As mentioned, he was 25 years old at the moment of the incident and had already been an experienced mountaineer. In the article “A Survival Guide to Catastrophe,” Amanda Ripley mentions that “survival is not just a product of luck” (para 3). Survival depends on both prior preparation and present mental conditioning. Joe was able to plan his further actions to climb out of the crack due to his experience and expertise. He knew that he had to maintain control over his mental state in order to survive (Wacky Wanderlust [49:15]). The ability to process the situation and start acting towards the rescue was a key feature that helped Joe to survive.
In case of disaster or emergency, a person undergoes three stages of mental processing. At first, people are shocked and deny the possibility of the disaster happening (BrightSight Speakers [25:00]). At the moment, they are unable to think clearly and evaluate the circumstances. As Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot of the plane that landed on the river Hudson, mentioned, “My initial reaction was one of disbelief” (CBS [1:00]). After some time, they come to a stage of deliberation, when it is possible to take control over the body and thought, trying to devise a solution (BrightSight Speakers [25:00]). Sullenberger noted that he knew that he had to solve the situation, which only mattered to him at the moment of the incident (CBS [6:50]). Finally, the decisive moment comes when a person develops a plan of survival and identifies the actions needed for the rescue (BrightSight Speakers [25:00]). At this stage, people are able to fully concentrate on the solution of the problem and survival.
As Joe fell down the crack, he went through the stages of disaster thinking extremely quickly, which saved him precious time. Joe was able to pull himself together to reach the decisive moment. He managed to protect himself from further sliding and thought through a plan for the ascent due to his skill (Wacky Wanderlust [48:00]). Joe decided not to give up after realizing that his partner would not be able to help him. He started to go deeper into the crack, hoping to find the way out. Despite the fear, he was going down as it was the only chance to survive (Wacky Wanderlust [57:30]). In the article “This Element is Critical to Human Flourishing — Yet Missing from the News,” Amanda Ripley calls hope one of the most important elements of human flourishing (para 5). Hope that he could survive pushed Joe to take action in order to find the way out. Combined with skills and deliberation, hope resulted in a successful rescue.
Despite the dread that Joe experiences, he is sure that some actions will result in survival. He did not succumb to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, maintaining control of himself. Some people finding themselves in much less dire situations would not be successful due to the inability to pull themselves together and start acting. They hope that someone will come and rescue them instead of making efforts to overcome the challenge. Joe knew that no one would come to him, and he quickly started to take action. He did not know what would happen to him, but he hoped that the deliberation would lead him to rescue. Although the further descent into the crack would seem counterintuitive, Joe had no other chance, and he took it (Wacky Wanderlust [59:00]). Joe decided that he would fight for his life till the end, which resulted in success.
In case of disaster, people tend to make unusual decisions, which may lead to unexpected results. Some people may feel desperate and lose hope, which often results in tragedy. However, some people are willing to take action to rescue themselves. Although their chances are often slim, they hope that they will be able to survive. Joe Simpson found himself in the most hopeless situation but managed to save his life. He had enough deliberation and hope to apply his climbing skills appropriately for the rescue.
Works Cited
“Amanda Ripley: Resilient You–What To Do in an Emergency [Full Keynote].” YouTube, uploaded by BrightSight Speakers. 2015. Web.
“I Was Sure I Could Do It.” YouTube, uploaded by CBS. 2009. Web.
Ripley, Amanda. “A Survival Guide to Catastrophe.” TIME, 2008. Web.
Ripley, Amanda. “This Element is Critical to Human Flourishing — Yet Missing from the News.” The Washington Post. 2023. Web.
“Touching the Void 2003.” YouTube, uploaded by Wacky Wanderlust. 2015. Web.