VIII/71. Will to Live
We hold a natural will to live, but we can inspire it.
Up to now, you have probably escaped the do-or-die situation in which your powerful will to live was the only thing that saved you. I never reached that point in combat, but I am there now. I believe my strong mind is my last weapon against cancer.
––John Roberts
A Fighter Pilot never quits. Never. Because, if you do, you become nothing more than a failure in the wreckage and you were never a Fighter Pilot to begin with.
––John Roberts
One must be somewhat limited to stare death so calmly in the face.
––Arthur Schnitzler
A more subtle factor in the production and maintenance of physical health is morale, or “spirit.” Increasing evidence is pointing to the fact that if a person finds his life challenging, purposeful, satisfying, and meaningful, his body works better, maintains its health better, and resists infectious illness better. Such a life, characterized by meaningful work, enjoyable play, and love and friendship thus seems to function as a kind of inexpensive health insurance.
––Sidney M. Jourard, Personal Adjustment, 2nd Ed., 1963
The purpose of our life is happiness....The turning toward happiness as a valid goal and the conscious decision to seek happiness in a systematic manner can profoundly change the rest of our lives….Fearless and honest self-appraisal can be a powerful weapon against self-doubt and low self-confidence. The Dalai Lama’s belief that this kind of honesty can act as an antidote to these negative states of mind has in fact been confirmed by a number of recent studies that clearly show that those who have a realistic and accurate view of themselves tend to like themselves better and have more confidence than those with poor or inaccurate self-knowledge.
––Howard C. Cutler, M.D., and His Holiness The Dalai Lama,
The Art of Happiness, 1998
The will to live is a natural survival instinct refined by evolution to convert fear into energy and fighting spirit against the predators and dangers of millions of years. The process does not stop with fear alone; it immediately generates the self-preservation reaction of fight or flight when there may be no time to think. This basic instinct is then improved by a learned attitude that suits the individual and the variety of threat. In some, a life of safety and comfort may leave it unused and undeveloped. The cancer patient must recognize that there is an opportunity and need to embellish the crude jungle instinct with special mental attitudes against a long-term internal enemy. These attitudes enable precise and positive thinking and may translate into improved physical condition.
With cancer, we can never know when a recovery or remission may come. I list the will to live as a responsibility, both to self and to loved ones, because cancer often alternates bad times with good; a strong will may be just what is needed when one feels like quitting. The greatest challenge may come when our attitude and physical condition have been driven down to the point where we need that will to trigger another revival.
There finally comes a time when the doctor, the giver of hope, says that nothing more can be done and quality of life is the only remaining objective. Before that fatal day, however, there are chances of prolonging life or imposing a cure against the variable and invisible strength of the mass of cancer cells that is assaulting our organs, bones, and strength. In order for our will to live to have any or maximum effect on our survival against cancer, we must find a way to build it to a new, unfamiliar intensity. That last mighty effort may be all we have left to avoid death. Sooner or later, the time will come when death approaches and the human spirit must rise to a new level of determination before accepting defeat and converting the mind to peace.
The will to live is the will to win. One must literally hate the thought of dying by man-eater, cancer, or a fellow man. Aggression, not defense, is a positive force when a threat is
identified. Success may result from a state of mind or a sophisticated plan of attack. A state of submission or passive acceptance is to be abhorred.
