A Book About True Human Resilience
One of my friends has a DP on his WhatsApp that says “It’s rigged; everything is in your favour. So there’s nothing to worry about”. How your childhood prepares you for your future journey in mysterious ways is a manifestation of the unseen and you can get a peek into this phenomenon when you read “Devil at my Heels”.
A kid born in abject poverty during the great depression in the US to Italian immigrant parents. Life is already hard and then he falls on the wrong side of the rail track, smoking, drinking, bunking school, fist fights with school and neighbourhood bullies and becoming a pro in all sorts of troubles. His accidents, including falling in an abandoned oil well, are a thing of legend. But this has been a preparation for what awaited him not too far in the future.
He mends his ways under the supervision of his brother and starts running, wins national awards and ends up representing the US in the Munich Olympics; not bad for a delinquent. He becomes a legend, Lois Zamperini the legend of Amercian athletics.
And then the war broke and he joined the forces as a bomber in a B42. What follows is:
– He goes on several successful sorties and survives, even after his plane gets shot.
-Crashlands while on a search and reconnaissance mission together with two other soldiers.
– Cast away for 47 days fighting the elements, hunger, sharks and mighty crazy waves.
– Gets rescued by the Japanese and the ordeal of torture begins.
– Gets shifted around in prisons and the beatings and starvation meant to break him and others keep getting exaggerated.
– His childhood tough boy and athletic training give him hope and a positive attitude and the will to live gets him back to the US after the war.
– PSTD hits and after several downs he finds God and had the courage not only to forgive but embrace his tormentors.
This book is for anyone who’s lost hope and finds himself in a torture chamber of circumstances. There is light at the end of the tunnel and Zampirini is a living manifestation of that.
Lessons:
– Stay Positive because crap can come & hit at unknown times.
– When crap hits, remember the good times.
– Never lose hope.
– Never take anything for granted.
– Have the heart to forgive.
– Live your life to the fullest.A great motion picture as well: https://lnkd.in/d99zxxH3
