Between a Rock and a Hard Place

It was out of pure gruesome curiosity that I picked up Aron Ralston's mind-blowing account of how he survived 6 days trapped in a canyon, six days that culminated in his cutting off his own arm to escape.

And I have to say after reading it: I don't think I could do it.  I don't think I could cut my own arm off.
Obviously I am not faced with the same dilemma as Ralston, and from the sound of the book, he too did not think himself capable of such a feat originally. Nonetheless.

 But I have to say, in the most positive, well-meaning way I can, that it's quite possible he had this kind of accident coming.  I don't mean that he deserved what happened or any such thing, not at all.  But the book details a wide variety of other outdoor adventures and many close calls that have befallen Ralston during his years hiking, climbing, and more before this accident.  He describes the terrifying ordeal of being trapped in an avalanche, the foolish and inexperienced move of hiking alone during winter and the hungry bear that chased him for days, his near-drowning, and a host of other undoubtedly fun but super dangerous adventures.  So, when I think about the timeline, it makes sense that he had this accident -- at some point, everyone's luck runs out.

What ultimately saved Ralston, at least in my analysis, is that, even though his luck ran out, he is made of strong stuff.  He had the mental ability to withstand a situation of almost guaranteed death; his book describes the days of dehydration, hallucinations, and frank video documentation of those 127 hours.  Some of it is even available on YouTube:

And though the book (and videos, I assume, though I've never seen all the footage) describes Ralston's descent into depression, guilt, and ultimately acceptance of his fate, his survival proves he is stronger than that.

Ralston's description of his decision making process crops up throughout the book -- amputation occurs to him early on, but he dismisses it.  After about three days, he stabs his pocketknife about two inches into his arm, but decides against a full-on amputation because the knife cannot cut through his bones.  By the time he actually cuts the arm off, he greets the calamity with something akin to elation: finally, a solution that will WORK.  Like I said when I started: I don't think I have it in me to cut off my own arm, even to save my life. But Aron Ralston does, and this mental resolve is what saves his life.

The man's accomplishment is truly amazing, and his return to his favorite outdoorsman activities demonstrates his dedication to living his life regardless of setbacks. Near the end, after his rescue and a lot of surgeries, he writes about all of the stuff he's received thanks to media attention: the notes from people he inspired to keep living, the piles of margarita supplies from strangers (at his first press conference, he said he really wanted margaritas because he'd been dreaming about them while trapped), and the positive attitude he's been able to keep thanks to it all.  What strikes me the most is a story he told from not long after his rescue, wherein he and his sister figured something out and went to do the double high-five, only to realize their mistake -- one five was missing.  And instead of being depressed, Ralston describes laughing his ass off.

That attitude is the best thing I can take from this book: He cut off his own arm, but retains the ability to laugh at it.  He is damaged, but he is positive, and he survived.