The Blessings of Trials

I would like to revisit the topic of Antarctic exploration just one more time so that I may impart a final thought about the quote by Apsley Cherry-Garrard that I mentioned in Endurance (Part II).

It goes like this…

“For a joint scientific and geographical piece of organization, give me Scott; for a Winter Journey, Wilson; for a dash to the Pole and nothing else, Amundsen; and if I am in the devil of a hole and want to get out of it, give me Shackleton every time.”

I believe Cherry-Garrard knew all these men, except Amundsen, personally.

Scott was well known for his scientifically successful ‘Discovery’ expedition.

Wilson had joined Cherry-Garrard on his ‘Winter Journey’ to find an unhatched Emperor Penguin egg.

Amundsen had used skis and sled dogs to dash across Antarctica, reaching the South Pole one month ahead of Scott.

And Shackleton, of course, spent nineteen months “in the devil of a hole and want[ed] to get out of it.”

Now, one could easily be led to believe that Cherry-Garrard's observations of these great explorers lack a certain level of profundity. After all, he really only describes what each man did and implies that, if it were done again, they would be the most likely to succeed.

For a dash to the pole, of course I would select the man who had done it before.

For a ‘Winter Journey’, of course I would select the man who had successfully accompanied me once before.

While Cherry-Garrard certainly intends to highlight that Shackleton is the man to have at the ship’s helm in hopeless situations, there is also a deeper truth to his statement:

Trial reveals character.

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Apsley Cherry-Garrard (right) and E. Wilson (center).

We would not speak of Shackleton as we do today if he had not been caught in that devil of a hole for one-and-a-half years. Furthermore, Shackleton himself would never have known he was capable of such a feat of endurance had he not had such misfortune befall him during his journey south.

He could have gone so far as to ignore the call of the wild and chosen a different profession altogether. He could have stayed put in London, placidly reading about great explorers instead of being one himself.

But he did not stay put; and the subsequent Antarctic calamity revealed Shackleton’s character to himself and others in a way that would otherwise have been nearly impossible.

That is what trials do … they reveal character.

They are blessings in our lives for which we must be grateful.

BUT…

Having character revealed through trial is not like discovering a hidden talent.

Shackleton’s perseverance was not simply a pleasant surprise as the polar winter set in.

Amundsen’s ability to persevere toward a singular goal in a ruthless manner was not mere happenstance.

Wilson’s mental fortitude, described by Cherry-Garrard as proving many times over that “it is not strength of body but rather strength of will which carries a man farthest where mind and body are taxed at the same time to their utmost limit,” was not a stroke of luck.

Character is not strengthened by accident in the same way that a blacksmith does not just happen to craft a sturdy, sharp sword.

Both are forged.

…Swords by fire.

…Character by action.

The characters of Scott, Wilson, Amundsen, and Shackleton were developed long before their ‘big adventures’ through hours and hours of research, years of preparation, multiple previous voyages, and a lifetime of study and discovery.

And so, the character that was revealed in the trial was not due to mere happenstance; it was the result of compounding actions over time.

My takeaways from these lines of Cherry-Garrard are:

Take action that forges character appropriately.

Be grateful for the trials that await you, for they reveal what has been built.

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Hammer and flame are to iron what action is to character.