Here is a dramatic war story of Robert Moore, from 1945. This story has been taken from the book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie.
In March 1945 Robert Moore was to learn the biggest lesson of his life. He learnt it under 276 feet of water off the coast of Indo-China, aboard a submarine. His crew were informed of a Japanese fleet coming their way and decided to attack. They fired torpedos but missed them due to a mechanical failure within the torpedos. The men were preparing another attack, however, were spotted by Japanese reconnaissance. As a Japanese destroyer came straight for them, the helmsman took the submarine 150 feet lower for silent running (stealth mode), to reduce the risk of getting hit by a depth charge. This included switching off all electrics such as fans and the cooling system. They waited in anticipation, however, a few moments later all hell broke loose.
Depth charges had exploded all around them, resulting in the submarine being pushed down to the ocean floor which was only 276 feet below the ocean level. This may sound like a large distance but to put this into perspective, it is highly risky to be attacked within 1000 feet and anything less than 500 feet is usually always fatal. As they were about half of 500 feet, they were facing certain death. This heavy bombardment went on for 15 hours, with depth charges exploding within 50 feet of them. As the situation was dire, the crew was instructed to lay low and remain calm in their bunks until this blows over. Robert knew he was facing certain and imminent death! As all electronics had been switched off, it was over 40 degrees celsius but he was shivering with cold. His teeth chattered and he broke out into a cold sweat.
After 15 hours, the Japanese destroyer had run out of depth charges and sailed away. Those 15 hours felt like a million years. During that time Robert remembered all the bad things he had done, all the trivial things he had worried about. Trivial worries such as the long hours he had worked at his previous job, the less than desirable salary and the lack of progression within the company. Other worries like houses being too expensive to afford, being unable to buy a new car or his wife new clothes, and how he hated his old boss who was always nagging and scolding was put into the correct perspective. He thought of all the times he had come home and quarrelled over insignificant things with his wife that were forgotten the next day. Even the scar on his forehead which he was always insecure about was now unimportant and a total waste of time.
All these worries seemed so big, so significant years ago, but how trivial they seemed in the face of these depth charges, the grim reaper literally knocking at the door. He promised himself that if he ever saw the sun and the stars again, he would never worry about anything again. He had learnt more about the art of living in those 15 hours than he had learnt during his whole lifetime.
Maybe we don't have to go through something this horrifying to learn what Robert did. Perhaps reminding ourselves of what can truly happen, or what has already happened in human history can knock our minor glooms and worries out of our system. Events such as [1]:
- September 11 Terrorist Attack (2001): 3,000 dead.
- Pol Pot Genocide (1963-1981): Cambodian Dictator Killed 2 Million People.-
- The Great Irish Potato Famine (1845 - 1849): A million dead and a million migrated as refugees.
- Nanjing Massacre or The Rape of Nanjing (13-12-1937): 300,000 killed and 80,000 women raped.
- Nuclear Attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (6-08-1945): 120,000 instantly killed.
- Asian Tsunami (2004): Over 100,000 killed within 20 minutes.
- The Rwandan Genocide (1994): 800,000 killed within 100 days, over 2 million migrated as refugees.
- The Vietnam Civil War (1964-1975): Over 3 million killed of which 58,148 were military personnel, and severely disabling 75,000 more.
Let's pay homage to those who have fallen before us and live our happiest, worry-free lives where we hit our full potential. We are currently living in a day and age where most diseases have been eradicated and if you were to contract a new disease, medical care has developed to look after you very well. Wars no longer break out in developed countries and the risk of famine in the world is now minute. So be happy, stay happy, and thrive. Remember, don't sweat the small stuff!
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