Philosophy for Polar Explorers

Erling Kagge
Author of Silence: In the Age of Noise

● "The crucial difference between everyone else and you, Mr. Heyerdahl," I said to myself,
"is that you made your own choices and didn't let others make them for you. When you
had opportunities, you took them and thought about all the obstacles later."

● Buridan's Donkey is the first philosophical puzzle I remember reading. It is about a donkey
standing between two identical haystacks and illustrates what happens when one refuses
to make a choice, The distance to each of the haystacks is exactly the same, and it's
impossible for the donkey to decide which haystack to walk to and consume first. Time
passes, the donkey weighs up the choice, never comes to a decision, and in the end dies
of hunger midway between the two haystacks.

● If you are close to sinking in the middle of the northern Atlantic, as my friends Hauk Wahl
and Arne Saugstad and I were, sailing back from the Caribbean in the winter of 1984, then
telling yourself that there's no way to stop the water pouring into your boat is probably not
going to help: you'll just give up. At the office I'm quite happy to listen to and consider
objections, but I seldom dwell on them unnecessarily. If there's something concrete that
can be done to change the situation, then that's all well and good. I may still feel sad and
depressed as a result of criticism, but I let it go more easily today than in the past. I really
do believe that it pays to try to have a positive attitude and, mental bat in hand, to try to
whack away as much of the negativity as possible. If it doesn't disappear the first time
around, then you can always try again.
● I don't mean that it's suddenly up to you and me tobelieve in our own greatness at the
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expense of self-reflection or realism. And by greatness, I don't mean superiority.
Greatness is relative. An acquaintance of mine is afraid of opening bills that arrive in the
mail. For him it would be an achievement to adapt to the world, to take control of things
and avoid bankruptcy. Opening envelopes isn't normally about strength, but for him it is.
What I have in mind when I talk about greatness is the potential of each and every
individual to overcome obstacles. Small ones and, at times, great ones.
● Ilove my father deeply, despite remembering how he has expressed his doubts about my
abilities before and after every adventure since I was a teenager. Other people could be
negative too, but there's something about the terse comments-"You will never make it" or
"It's impossible" when they're made by a father. They cut deeper. But even more than that,
I can remember how I wanted to please him. The first time I succeeded in doing that was
when I returned from the South Pole. His accolades were more satisfying than any other,
With my mother, it was different. She loved me no matter what I did.