Louis Zamperini, from his book “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In,” wrote a chapter on ‘Free Advice’:
When I get on an airplane, before I sit down, I look around for the exit doors. When the flight attendant does the safety demonstration, I already know where I’m going. Awareness equals survival.
When I walk down the street I can spot guys, from half a block away, that could harm me. I cross over. If they cross, too, then I head for a store or where there are people. Once I saw two kids coming down Hollywood Boulevard, their eyes fixed on me. They figured the old man’s got money in his pocket. A woman in front of me was pulling a basket with groceries in it. I leaped over the basket, When they saw me leap they realized I wasn’t an easy mark. They turned and went the other way.
Awareness saves your life.
1. I credit physiology classes I took from Dr. Roberts at USC with making me aware of the importance of always being aware. I told the USC Family magazine in 2003, “I tell kids to be aware of what’s going on around them, in the street, in class, to size up the situation, think of consequences. It’s the one thing schools neglect to teach in the classrooms, and it’s the answer to all the choices we make and to all survival in this world. “Dr. Roberts (my psychology professor) called it mind over matter. But you could also call it wisdom.”
2. I once walked into a bank and saw a big burly guy and his girlfriend. They weren’t standing in line. They had fist fulls of money, and panic on their faces. And a gun. He came at me as I opened the door. He put the gum in my face and said, ” Step aside!” A few bills fell to the floor from the girl’s hand. She stooped to pick them up. “Yes, sir,” I said, and did what he asked. They ran out.
For a moment, the bank was so quiet you could have heard those bills drop. I scanned the room. Those who had watched the hold up, stood there, eyes glazed. Suddenly, one man ran to the door behind me. Oh, oh, oh . . .I’m getting out of here, he yelled as he pushed through. Like sheep, everyone followed. Why? The bank was safe now, but who knew what was happening on the street. The police were probably on their way and the guy had a gun.
I would have had a twenty minute wait to make a deposit, but I just walked up to the teller and was first in line.
We all have read stories about someone who, faced with a gun or some other weapon, argues.
“Give me your wallet!”
“But. . .” Or they try to be a hero.
I remember a famous attorney—they called him a fighter—who came out of a nightclub and got robbed in the parking lot. Being an attorney, he tried to reason with the thief. He didn’t use his much praised head, and got shot and killed instead. People said, “Well, he got shot because he was a fighter; he fights back at anything.” Well, no more. If a guy’s got a gun, and you’re not on the battlefield, humble yourself.
3. I married Cynthia Applewhite—the girl of my dreams—in 1946. She died in 2001. We had fifty-five years together, raised two kids, had a wonderful grandson and a terrific son- and daughter-in-law. Cynthia and I also let each other lead our own lives. . . . Cynthia was an artist, a published novelist, and adventurer who once traveled around the world on tramp steamers. She was always coming up with something.
When I worked at my local church, because of my reputation I would occasionally be asked for advice and counsel on how to keep a marriage together. It’s a great responsibility and a rough game. When the times are tough you have to keep the parties from jumping on each other.
Here’s what I did: I talked to the husband and wife separately. I’d tell each of them something my brother Pete once told me. “When you’re wrong, admit it. When you’re right keep your mouth shut.” I’d also tell the husband: ” Whatever you do, do not tell your wife what I just told you.” To the wife, I’d say: “This is the secret to a happy marriage but under no circumstance tell your husband what I just told you.”
Many of those couples stayed together a long time.
~ Louis Zamperini, from his book “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In” p.203-206, HarperCollins Publishers, NY,NY
(Posts with a preamble asterisk * are for a more general audience, and not specific to teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
