How isolation can be useful: the story of a polar explorer who lived alone for 5 months

When there is only harsh nature around and not a single person, much appears in a new light, writes Lifehacker.

Photo: Shutterstock

Richard Byrd was one of the first American aviators. The air expeditions he led crossed the Atlantic Ocean, part of the Arctic Ocean and part of the Arctic Plateau in Antarctica.

In 1934, he decided to spend several months alone in Antarctica. The rest of the expedition remained at Little America's research base, and Byrd himself settled in an even colder and deserted part of the mainland. For several months he was going to conduct meteorological and astronomical observations. But first of all, Byrd simply wanted to be alone, away from the hustle and bustle of his own life. Here are some of his thoughts published in Art of Manliness.

We need less than we think.

Two tunnels dug in the snow adjoined Byrd's hut. Essential necessities were stored in them: candles, matches, lanterns, batteries, pencils and paper, soap, provisions. In addition to books and a phonograph, Byrd did not have any entertainment. He had one set of clothes, one chair and a tile on which he cooked.

Living in such simple conditions, Byrd realized that nothing more was needed. He realized what philosophers have long been talking about: one can live fully without accumulating a bunch of things.

“Half the confusion in the world comes from not knowing how little we need,” says Richard Baird.

Exercise helps maintain peace of mind

Despite the extremely low temperature, Byrd practiced almost every day. He believed that daily exercise does not only support physical health, but also the psyche. The next time you are too lazy to go outside because of the cold, remember this entry from Byrd’s diary: “Today it was clear and not too cold - at noon it’s only minus 41.”

In the mornings, while the water was warming for tea, Byrd, lying on his bunk, did fifteen stretching exercises. “Silence in the first few minutes after waking up always makes you sad,” he wrote. “Exercise helps me break out of this state.”

In addition, every day he walked for an hour or two and performed various exercises along the way. Such walks gave him the opportunity to warm up, breathe air and change the atmosphere.

Most of our behavior is driven by external factors.

“Alone, you notice to what extent our manners and habits depend on our surroundings,” Byrd admitted. “My table manners are disgusting now.” It’s like I’ve degraded for hundreds of years. ”

He also noted that he began to curse less often: “Now I rarely scold, although at first I raged with anger at everything that pissed me off. Now I suffer in silence, knowing that the night is endless and my profanity does not shock anyone but myself. ” Although it seems to us that we pronounce curses for our own pleasure, in fact, this action is ostentatious.

In addition, Byrd hasn’t cut all these months. According to him, long hair warmed the neck. But every evening he washed, but not to comply with the rules of decency. Just because he was more pleasant and comfortable.

“What I look like doesn’t matter to me at all now. The only thing that matters is how I feel,” admitted Richard Byrd.

He did not think that manners and rules of conduct were not needed at all. Byrd did not live savage after returning from the expedition. He simply always remembered that most of our behavior is “theater, albeit very useful”.

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The daily routine supports and rests

In order not to fall into melancholy, Byrd tried to always be busy and introduced a clear daily routine. According to him, it was not so simple, because he is “a rather careless person who is influenced by mood”.

First, Byrd was repairing something every day. He always set aside one hour for this, and then moved on to another matter. The next day he returned to work.

“So every day I see little progress in all important matters,” he explained, “and at the same time I do not let myself get bored. It brings variety to life. ” Secondly, Byrd tried not to think about the past and live in the present. He wanted to "extract from the surroundings every drop of the entertainment available to him."

Although every day he went for walks in different directions, the landscape practically did not change. Byrd diversified his attacks with the help of imagination. For example, he imagined that he walks around his native Boston, repeats the journey of Marco Polo, or lives during the ice age.

“Happy are those who can live fully on their intellectual resources, just as hibernating animals survive on their accumulated fat,” explained Richard Baird.

Do not worry about what is not in your power

Byrd learned the news from Little America, and could only respond with Morse code. At first, he was very upset at the reports he heard, for example about the economic crisis. But over time, he learned to perceive them differently.

“I have not the slightest opportunity to make a difference. Therefore, worrying is futile, ”Byrd wrote.

This approach, characteristic of stoicism, he applied to everything he heard, tried to focus only on what he could control. According to him, world news became for him "almost as meaningless as for a Martian."

Byrd could not influence global events from his corner of Antarctica. But he would not have changed anything if he had been home in America at that time. So is it worth it to follow the news and worry about them?

Peace and joy are not given without struggle

“In the absence of material stimuli, my feelings worsened in a new way,” Byrd wrote. “Random or ordinary things in heaven, earth and in my soul, which I would have previously ignored or had not noticed at all, have now become fascinating and important.”

However, such moments of spiritual excitement do not occur without labor and sacrifice. They did not occur despite the difficult conditions in which Byrd lived, but precisely because of them. Here, for example, his thoughts on the magnificent colors of the northern lights:

“I watched the sky for a long time and came to the conclusion that it is not for nothing that such beauty is hidden in remote, dangerous places. Nature has good reason for exacting a special tribute from those who wish to observe it.”

Byrd found that state of rest, which he dreamed about. But, according to him, this peace is not passive. It must be won with maximum effort.

On the subject: Astronauts, hermits and sailors - how to survive self-isolation

Family is the only thing that matters

Two months later, Byrd broke a tile with which he heated his hut. From it carbon monoxide began to seep. But without heating, Byrd would freeze to death. Therefore, he had to air the room during the day, and leave it turned on for the night. He soon became seriously ill, but hid it from his colleagues for two months, fearing that they would go to his rescue and die on the way.

Once on the verge of death, Byrd realized a simple truth: “Before, I appreciated not at all. I did not understand that simple, modest things in life are most important. In the end, for any person, only the love and understanding of his family is important. Everything else is fragile. All that we have created is ships, given at the mercy of the winds and tides of human prejudice. But the family is a reliable support, a safe haven where these ships moor at the pier of pride and confidence. ”

Conclusions

“I gained something I never had before: humble needs and the ability to appreciate the beauty of being alive. Civilization did not change my new views. Now I live a simpler and calmer life,” admitted Richard Byrd.

Most of us will never experience such a long and complete loneliness in which Byrd was. But everyone has a few minutes a day that you can spend alone with yourself.

Disconnect from everything that distracts you, and listen to thoughts for which you usually do not have enough time in everyday life.

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