Here is the first sentence of this entry:
"Viktor Frankl discovered that strength is unleashed within us when we are convinced our lives have a purpose yet to be fulfilled."
One thing I wanted to bring up earlier, but decided not to out of deference to the moment was another football-relates-to-life paradigm about goal line stands. I remember hearing our defensive coordinator scream at us from the sidelines to "suck it up." Standing there with the end zone behind you and 11 guys breaking a huddle and headed your way with the intention of knocking you down is a moment that's hard to forget. Fortunately, our defense at Desert High School was able to make a few (perhaps several ... it's hard to trust your memory when that many years pass by) of these. It's quite a character building experience, if you can believe that. It's certainly ripe for lessons. When "your backs are against the wall," that's when you have to fight. You have to muster all the strength you can, knowing that there's not any flex-room to move backwards (or you lose). Experiencing our first one as a team of sophomores on the JV squad probably helped us later as seniors know that we could do this. There's nothing like survival (even in a competitive sport/game) that brings out your best.
Anyway, back to Frankl...
McManus tells a nicer non-football story about not accepting defeat. He knew a 22-year old that went to Aceh to help others. Soon after arriving, he was bitten by a mosquito and was on his back in the hospital, fighting for his life. It's true, it would have been easy for him to quickly take the next flight back to Laguna Beach, California. Mosquitos or bikinis? But he had a purpose. He didn't give up so easy on that thing, nor did he quit fighting the disease. This determination to get back on his feet (and get back to helping) was probably the motivating strength that sped healing to the cells in his body. I have no idea how that stuff works, but determination ("sucking it up," as coach Lyman Olney would yell) does something -- at least mentally (but probably physically, too). This 22-year old, Peter, later saved a couple kids. Days before he saved a man. This guy must've been a good swimmer. It can be said of him that if he had died of that disease, these three other people would have died. He wouldn't have been there to rescue them and they would have died. His life counts for something. That's a cool story.