The Real Survivors

December 2002

I recently watched a few segments of the Thailand Survivor "reality" T.V. series. For those readers who may not know about this series, it is a game program which sends 16 people, divided into two groups, to remote areas to live off the land for 39 days. Those selected to play the game from thousands of applicants can only take a few belongings with them and they are only given the barest of cooking utensils and tools to use in their earnest quest to stay alive, all the while being filmed for later T.V. broadcast. The reason these people volunteer for such hardship and possible worldwide humiliation is the possibility of winning a million dollars.

While I did not particularly enjoy watching the broadcasts, I was caught up in the pathos of the two groups of strangers trying to survive under very difficult circumstances. The struggle started for the groups from the minute they were put ahsore on their respective islands. One group drew the island which had a natural shelter created by an overhanging rock but their water was about one and a half miles away by boat or, after they lost their boat, a tiring swim. The other group had closer water, but no shelter. The heat, hunger, personality conflicts, criticism for how others were contributing to the everyday work, jockeying for power, the alliances made between game players and the competition between the two groups for valuable prizes--prizes which could fill their bellies temporarily or provide tools to help them obtain more food every day--and the exhileration at winning those prizes or the disappointment at losing them, all drew me into the real life drama.

On one segment, a young man took a banana without consulting the other group members. Tempers flared. Later that same day, that group won the prize of a sumptous feast to be eaten while listening to music and watching a dance troup. As they were eating and enjoying the taste of good food which included iced-cold drinks, meat and fruit, compared to their standard fare of crab, squib, and who knows what kind of other creatures, the fractured group mellowed. They even laughed about the difference between how they all felt about that banana earlier in the day compared to the food they were all enjoying then. They went back to their island full, content and in a much better frame of mind.

I remember that some time ago Eva (MI) told me that after watching a Survivor broadcast her eight-year old daughter Cheyanne said something like: "We're the real survivors!" Of course, she was talking about the fact that both her mom and dad, Tommy, were extremely sensitive and everyday was a battle to avoid chemicals and to find, prepare and eat foods they could tolerate. She hit it right on the head.

The people involved in the Survivor games are willing participants in their dangerous, difficult situations. They signed up for a particular length of time to be challenged by the elements and by each other. They are most likely healthy and consider themselves to be rugged individualists. Each hope to claim the prize of one millions dollars and those that do not win, if not injured, may reap other benefits from the experience as earlier Survivor contestants were sought out by the media and offered jobs, etc. The young fellow who took the banana and who had often acted immaturely shared one night that the island experience was teaching him what was important in life. All the things he had thought were important had melted away and he was now looking forward to seeing his father who he had never got along with before.

I always admire people who are physically strong because I am not. So I cannot help but appreciate the Survivor participants for their bravery and prowess. Obviously, someone with serious fatigue and body pain could not survive on those islands given the tools they had. But, from my perspective, and the McGuires', how many of the people taking part in the Survivor game could handle ongoing Environmental Illness? I have known many with severe fatigue, pain and many other symptoms who have to work very hard every day in order to survive. They did not sign up for the experience and they see no end in sight. Some are on extreme diets and are hungry, others are searching for and working to make safe shelters all the time. They keep going while suffering symptoms that would cause most people to give up and go to bed. Like the young man, they have learned what is most important in life.

While hunger and dire elements caused the people taking part in the Survivor experience to be reduced to their basest personalities and elevated them to joy and comradery when things were going well, I have witnessed the same thing happen to our members. Some compete with others, judge others, criticize others and are self-centered about their needs. Some hurt so much physically and have to so thoroughly protect themselves from chemical assault that they act like wounded animals. I do not blame them. And, unlike the people on the Survivor program, foods and chemicals can cause the personalities of sensitive people to change, causing them to be more defensive, depressed, hurt, critical and judgemental beyond how they normally would react no matter the circumstance. All in all, however, I am happy to say our members have handled their plights very well. And I admire them more than the Survivor for their bravery in their weakness and vulnerability.

Here are some memorable statements about survival I have heard from our members:

"I'm living between the Rock and a hard place! Fortunately, the Rock is Jesus."

"I am basically leaning on the Lord and living from exposure to exposure."

"Well, I've not been evicted yet!"

"We feel like we are living on the Red Sea coast line with chariots coming and spraying Roundup as they come."

A comment on our stressed relationships: "It's like we are fighting over deck chairs on the Titanic."

And, in response to my question "Where are you?" to someone on the road looking and looking for a safe environment. "I am trying to get out of the quicksand."

While the people in the Survivor game saw their experiences on the island as a means to an end, I am sure that many people with chemical sensitivity, except for the heat, and the need to use wood fires, could appreciate living on an island away from chemical air pollution. They might then feel strong enough to build a shelter and forage for food like Robinson Carosue, or Hank in the recent Castaway movie. And they would like living with like-minded, and like-sensitive people. I read letters all year long now which tell of neighbors and road workers, etc. spraying chemicals. Please pray with us that safe housing and safe camping areas would be made available to those who need to relocate to avoid chemical exposure and to improve their health. Pray also for ordinary people to realize that they are jeopardizing their own health by the use of chemical pesticides/herbicides.

We are approaching the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. This is an even more difficult time of the year for many of our members than the rest of the year. The season divides chronically ill and sensitive people from others even more dramatically. The desire to be normally healthy in order to be able to join in on the fun, food, social get-togethers and stresses of the season are almost unbearable at times. However, while we understandably regret missing out on many of the benefits that life on earth has to offer, our life times here on earth are minuscule compared to eternity. As Paul said in I Corinthians 9, we must run the race of life not to receive a perishable wreath, or a million dollars, but an imperishable prize.

A friend sent me the following e-mail last December.

The Message

During the Christmas season there seems to be one recurring expression as friends and acquaintences greet one another with "wishes" for "all the best." The expression I often hear is, "as long as you have your health." [We agree that is very important!] I have often wanted to ask one of these well-meaning well-wishers "What if you don't have your health? What then? Do we just give up and die? Is there no more reason to go on living? Is that all life is about? Our health? And what if you do die? What then?" I imagine for some the answer is a dark, silent, void. But not for believers. The answer must be a bright, noiseful, fullness. The fullness of Him who fills all things. I may not have my health... NOW...but I have Jesus. And in the bright, joyful, filled-to-overflowing-someday I will be like Him. And that means health and wholeness forever more. So to all those well-meaning well-wishers I say to you with all my heart, "As long as you have Jesus, you have everything you need. What better time than this Christmas to receive Him as your Savior." Our love, Jeff and Lynda.

Those who receive Him as their Savior will one day sit down to a sumptous feast more glorious than the one that the Survivor so appreciated. We will all mellow and be able to put our trials into perspective as that group did who got so upset at the one banana being eaten out of turn. We can join Isaiah in looking forward to that day, a day when we will be together with each other and Isaiah!

O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee,
I will give thanks to Thy name;
For Thou has worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
For thou has made a city into a heap,
A fortified city into a ruin;
A palace of strangers is a city no more,
It will never be rebuilt.
Therefore a strong people will glorify Thee;
Cities of ruthless nations will revere Thee.
For Thou hast been a defense for the helpless,
A defense for the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.
Like heat in drought,
Thou dost subdue the uproar of aliens;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.


And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all people on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.
And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,
Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
He will swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."

Isaiah 25:1-9

To all you real life survivors, I send you my praise for not giving up and doing the best you can under extremely difficult circumstances. I also send you my love and best wishes for the holiday season, for the new year and for eternity! May you begin the day tomorrow with this song on your heart and may you celebrate the birth of Jesus with new/renewed thanksgiving and joy.

I'd Rather Have Jesus

by George Beverly Shea
I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame.
I'd rather be true to His holy name.

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He's all that my hungering spirit needs.
I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

Chorus:

Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

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