The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times(38)

“Do you have favorite examples of people who embody this spirit?” I asked.

“Some people immediately spring to mind. Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for an end to discrimination and income inequality and preached nonviolence, despite terrible adversity. Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for twenty-seven years for his fight for an end to apartheid in South Africa. Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian who led nonviolent demonstrations against the pollution of the land by Royal Dutch Shell and was executed by his government.” I could not help thinking of the story of the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell and his transformation, as well as the dark history of so many of the oil and gas companies that had endangered the planet.

Jane continued, “Winston Churchill, of course, who inspired Britain to fight Nazi Germany even when almost every European country had been defeated. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian lawyer who led the nonviolent movement that finally ended British colonial rule. And the example that will spring to the minds of Christians, of course, is Jesus. I have been so deeply inspired by these people who demonstrate, in their lives, this indomitable spirit. The influence they have had on the course of history—well, I could not begin to evaluate it. And they are just a few examples.”

“So,” I asked, “the indomitable human spirit is what helps us to go on even when it seems hopeless. And something that inspires others?”

“Yes, exactly. And in addition to those icons who have inspired millions, there are all those among us who face really daunting social or physical problems in their own lives. The refugees who endure great danger and hardship to escape from violence and, knowing no one, manage to create a life for themselves—even when, as is sadly so often the case, they face discrimination on arriving, finally, at their destination. People with disabilities who refuse to let this prevent them from following their dreams. And they, too, inspire all those who come in contact with them by their courage and determination to overcome their challenges.”





When I Decide to Climb Everest



“Do you think it’s our indomitable spirit that has allowed us to survive and thrive?” I asked. “After all, we humans are the physically weakest of the apes.”

“Well, no, it was our brains and our ability to cooperate, along with our adaptability, that’s enabled us to be successful,” Jane said. “Our indomitable spirit has taken us a bit farther, I suppose. Because we’re in the unique position of being able to understand exactly what may result from a conscious decision to tackle what we are told is an utterly impossible course of action.”

“Do you believe the chimps have an indomitable chimp spirit?”

Jane chuckled. “They certainly have the will to live, as described by that great humanitarian doctor Albert Schweitzer. The will that causes them to struggle to recover from sickness and injury and other challenges like so many animals—so long as they are psychologically healthy. Animals, like us, can feel helpless and hopeless; and in this state of despair they may give up when challenged by illness, injury, or some traumatic event—like being captured, for example. Some infant chimps survive horrific situations, while others may give up and die even when their situation is far less awful.”

“But you think this will to live is different from the indomitable spirit that you’re describing for humans?” I asked.

“Well, I think for us it’s more than the will to live when confronted by a life-threatening situation—although we certainly share that with other animals. It’s an ability to deliberately tackle what may seem to be an impossible task. And not give up even though we know there is a chance we may not succeed. Even when we know it may lead to our death.”

“So this indomitable spirit requires the amazing human intellect and imagination—and, of course, hope?”

“Yes,” said Jane, “and it also requires determination and resilience and courage.”

I told Jane I had a very important role model in my life who embodied that indomitable spirit: my grandfather. “He lost his leg as a boy,” I said. “And even with a wooden leg he became a ballroom dancer and competitive tennis player! He became a neurosurgeon and performed a pioneering separation of conjoined twins, which he had been told was impossible. During World War Two, he would show the recent amputees how to live with a prosthetic and assure them that they could have a full life. He had a motto: ‘The difficult is hard, the impossible just a little harder.’”

“That’s a wonderful example of a human’s indomitable spirit,” Jane said. “That’s exactly it.”

“Derek is another example,” I said, referring to her late husband.

“Yes, Derek is another marvelous example of resilience, grit, and an indomitable spirit,” she said. “He was in the Royal Air Force flying a Hurricane and was shot down over Egypt when the Allies were fighting Rommel, the Desert Fox, in World War Two. He survived the crash and was rescued, but his legs were partially paralyzed because of the damage to the nervous system at the base of his spine where he had been hit by a German bullet.


Doug’s grandfather, Hippolyte Marcus Wertheim, leaving York Hospital on December 7, 1936, after performing a successful separation of conjoined twins, a surgery he had been told was impossible. He walked with a limp because of his prosthetic leg.



“Derek’s doctors told him that he would never walk again, but he was determined to prove them wrong and he never gave up. That he was eventually able to walk with the use of only a single cane was nothing short of a miracle. One leg was almost entirely paralyzed—he had to sort of swing it forward with his hand for each step. And Olly, my aunt, who was a physiotherapist, examined him and said, ‘Well, actually, anatomically, looking at all the muscles and everything, he shouldn’t really be able to use the other leg either. He’s walking by sheer willpower.’”