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In her NY Times article entitled "Alone at Sea: Why He Kayaked the Atlantic at 70 (For The Third Time)", Elizabeth Weil depicts the story of a Polish man, named Aleksander Doba, who kayaks across the Atlantic Ocean not once, but three times (the last of which at the age of 70!). Doba is obviously an extraordinary human being - one we can all learn from. I highly encourage you to read the full article as Doba exudes many virtues that could lead us all to live a happy, wholesome and successful life:
Self-control
Doba considers the instances when he succumbed to suffering as one of his bigger regrets in life. For instance, the night when he built a fire to make tea and dry his clothes while paddling in central Poland. Or the time when he should have been conditioning his body for arctic temperatures but eschewed the cold, canned goulash at his campsite, instead yielding to the temptation and pleasure engendered by a meal of pancakes, tomato soup and rice. Doba sets a lofty standard for self-control. He forces himself to endure and embrace unpleasant (at best) conditions. From a more practical standpoint, many can relate to warding off the cravings of a late night snack while on a diet. Or a making a trip to the gym after a long day of work.
Perseverance
Don’t surrender to adversity or failure. The road to accomplishing a goal is lined with obstacles and setbacks. Doba washed back ashore forty-two hours after departing on his first attempt to cross the Atlantic. He then returned home and vowed to quit kayaking. But quickly thereafter he re-directed his focus to designing a kayak that could withstand the rigors of the Atlantic Ocean. Once he finally made it out into the South Atlantic, he found the conditions humid and hot:
“Doba tried to sleep during the day but couldn’t, so he tried to paddle during the day and nearly got sunstroke. He kept no schedule. “I am not German — always 9 a.m. paddle,” he explained. “I am Polish. I paddle when I would like.” His skin broke out in salt-induced rashes, including blisters in his armpits and groin. His eyes blew up with conjunctivitis. His fingernails and toenails just about peeled off. His clothes, permeated with salt, refused to dry. The fabric smelled horrendous and aggravated his skin, so he abandoned clothes. “
During his voyages, he also ran into numerous mechanical and equipment malfunctions, like when his rudder broke (which happened a few times) or when he lost his communications (which also happened a few times). Despite all of the physical and mental agony, he did not stop - he did not quit. And eventually, Doba accomplished his goal of crossing the Atlantic three times: once each in the North, Middle and South.
Ambition and Courage
Don’t be afraid to take risks or be the first to attempt something. Prior to Doba, one person had crossed the Atlantic in a kayak actuated only by muscle power – and that brave soul traveled island to island on his way from Newfoundland to Ireland. Turbulent storms make crossing the North Atlantic more dangerous than areas further south. Not only can the boat roll over, but a breaking wave can transfer the potential energy in the wave into kinetic energy thereby creating “an avalanche of water”. Still, Aleksander was committed to doing something nobody had ever done. In another instance, he was kayaking along the coast of Norway enroute to the Arctic Circle when he was thrown from the kayak before passing out, and finally waking upon washing ashore. The article's author writes, “Doba does not regret this experience. He has no interest in dying in his bed.”
Self-motivation
On Aleksander’s first successful trans-Atlantic expedition, he paddled from Senegal toward the coast of Brazil. When he finally reached Brazil, he was welcomed by one journalist and one ambassador – a whopping party of two. Yet he was unaffected:
In photos from the ends of his trips, he looks ecstatic and feral, in the best possible sense, intrinsically wild and free.
How often do we do things to impress others or stand out? Perhaps we ought to be motivated to do things that make us happy, because they fulfill us. It seems that Doba gains an existential fulfillment from doing something about which he is wholeheartedly passionate. His fuel source resides in the depths of his soul and he requires no external supplementation.
Mental Strength and Gratitude
Perception is reality. Life is what you make of it. These statements are trite but true. Doba was born in Poland after the end of World War II. Despite living in abject conditions and experiencing his mother being shipped to Siberia and his three uncles disappearing, Doba regarded his childhood as “magical, almost fantastical.” Near his house he explored a pond and a forest that bore mushrooms. There was also a small airport with gliders and storks and his father made him a bike so he could ride around the country. There were myriad of miserable aspects of life upon which Doba could have chosen to focus. But instead he chose to be happy; he chose to appreciate what he was given in life and make the most of it.
Belief and Commitment
Don’t let naysayers and doubters deter you from attempting to accomplish a goal that is a manifestation of your true self. Numerous people tried to talk Doba out of going on each expedition. The voyages were inherently dangerous and his family and friends reasonably feared for his safety. His wife, Gabriela, even threatened divorce! But still he pushed forward and ultimately succeeded.
Determination
If you are determined, you can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. The author of the article shares a joke regarding determination told to her by the host of a Polish documentary TV show:
“The devil, a German man, a Frenchman and a Polish man are all in a hot-air balloon,” Wojciechowska said. “They are falling, falling — a catastrophe is about to happen. So the devil says to the German man: ‘You must jump. This is an order.’
And the German man jumps.
“Then the devil says to the Frenchman, ‘You must jump.’ The Frenchman says, ‘What does this mean?’
“The devil says, ‘It means that life is meaningless but when you jump you will look very chic, very modern.’ So the Frenchman jumps.
“Then the devil gets to the Polish man.” He tries the reasons he used on the German and French men, without success. “ ‘Shoot,’ the devil says. ‘I know you will not jump.’ And the Polish man jumps.”
Wojciechowska looked at me squarely, to make sure I understood. “The more you don’t believe in Polish people, the more determined we are. To prove themselves, Polish people will endure everything. If you aren’t willing to suffer, you can do nothing. You can sit and die. This is the only one thing you can do.”
Perhaps we can all learn something from Polish people - especially Aleksander Doba.
Sources
Weil, Elizabeth, "Alone at Sea," https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/22/magazine/voyages-kayaking-across-ocean-at-70.html.
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