As many of my readers know, six months ago I shattered my left heel. This required extensive surgery and a long period of convalescence. A friend of my wife, Kyle Hall, gave me a book to read as I was laid up. The book, “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand, was meant to be appropriate given my injury, but also inspirational. It was both. “Unbroken” is the story of an American former track star, Louie Zamperini, who served in the US Air Corp in WWII. He survived a crash in the Pacific, two months adrift on a raft, and eighteen months in a Japanese POW camp. He endured horrific torture and abuse, being singled out because of his notoriety as an Olympic athlete. Certainly, Hillenbrand’s title was chosen as a testament to Louie’s incredible strength and refusal to be physically and psychologically destroyed by his captors.
Ironically, but also sadly predictably, Louie Zamperini did not remain “unbroken” after his release upon the war’s conclusion in August, 1945. The effects of his ordeal were reflected in his PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) symptomotology. Louie turned to drinking to deal with his depressed mood and his other losses (including his Olympic ambitions). His new wife, frustrated by her inability to restore her husband to a healthier and more functional state, began to attend religious meetings being conducted by a young, charismatic preacher. She found inspiration in the 31 year old minister’s message and encouraged Louie to attend with her. After numerous refusals, the seemingly “broken” vet agreed to attend, if only to appease his insistent bride. The inspirational man of God was Billy Graham.
The purpose of this narrative is not meant to endorse any religion per se, nor to laud an admittedly great spiritual figure in Billy Graham. Rather, Zamperini’s story provides a backdrop for the fundamental message of the “snowman:” that all change for the better (or worse) begins with an idea: a cognition. If we can climb inside the head of Louie Zamperini in 1944 and 1945 as he endured his ordeal, the idea, “They are not going to break me; I won’t give them that satisfaction.” must have been present. His strength of will, driven by that idea, sustained him. Ironically, his subsequent freedom and return to America seems to have triggered a new pattern of thought. The painful thoughts, “My track career is lost forever.” and “Where do I go from here?” likely emerged. Perhaps the even more damaging belief, “I’ll never be whole again after all that I’ve been through.” may have surfaced.
What did Billy Graham give to Louie Zamperini that led to his total reversal? Specifically, I do not know. There is no record of Rev. Graham’s inspirational messages. What is clear, however, is that Louie received a new and positive set of ideas from Graham. Hillenbrand reports that Louie remained optimistic, productive, and happy from that point forward. Through whatever inner strength Louie retained, he was able to make the cognitive decision to “run” with the message proffered by the youthful spiritualist. That was his choice, and Zamperini deserves the credit for the change in his life’s course.
Thankfully, none of us have had to endure what Louie Zamperini did nearly seventy years ago. But each life has its bumps; its travail. How are we handling ours? What ideas or thoughts are dictating our responses? Are those beliefs serving us or holding us back from a more happy and productive life? Do those notions break us or heal us? That is our choice.
Consider something in your life that you wish were different. What belief do you hold that is trapping you in the situation you wish were different. What new thought or idea will serve you better? Try adopting that new, healthier, and more productive belief. Heal the break in your life that is holding you back from a better life.