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- Saturday 7: Alistair Urquhart
It’s about a fella named Alistair Urquhart who was a Scottish born soldier in WW2 who was a prisoner of war under the Imperial Japanese Army for several years. He endured immense suffering working on the Death Railway along the River Kwai, survived a shipwreck followed by several days alone at sea, and was hit by the atomic bomb blast in Nagasaki.
He lived a long and fruitful life, moving on at the age of 97 years old. His is one of the most inspiring stories I've ever read.
Here are the 7 most important lessons from his story:
Survive the day
Throughout his 1,267 days as prisoner of war, Urquhart would continually(and audibly) direct himself to “Survive this day. Survive this day.” Not tomorrow, not next week, not next year. Today. We get through tough situations by focusing on getting through the present day. Survive this day.
It’s bigger than just you
Alistiar found that older prisoners who had wives and children back home, survived in greater numbers than younger, single, and childless prisoners. The family men had something greater than themselves to live for; they had a higher purpose. “If you have a big enough ‘why’, you can bear almost and ‘how’”.
Hope is contagious
And so is optimism… and doubt and complaining. We choose what contagion we spread. The prisoners who brought hope into the camps saved the lives of many men.
We rejoice in our sufferings
Romans 5:3 says, “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.5 And hope does not put us to shame”
Alistair spent 1,267 days suffering immeasurably as a prisoner. It was these sufferings that elevated his character and enriched his life for so many years afterwards.
Generosity gives life to both the reciever and the recipient
When Alistair himself or others were close to death or were in need of a hand, their comrades and brothers gave them that hand. The continual generosity from men who had near nothing to give was the ultimate depiction of love.
Felicity & Misfortune
In the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” Edmond Dantes says, “only those who have suffered the deepest misfortune can experience the heights of felicity.” Felicity is intense happiness.
Urquhart experienced the deepest misfortune — which is tragic, yet this insight gave him the ability to experience the most intense happiness, which is beautiful.
The only way to lose is to quit
Alistair had every reason and excuse to cute. Hopelessness, depravity, hunger, thirst, disease, lonliness, depression, anxiety, torture, uncertainty, among others… Yet he did not quit; he kept going and in the end he was saved.
The only way to lose is to quit. So don’t quit.
Onward & Upward,
Nolan
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