Survivor Season 30 was one of the best seasons ever: The cast was divided into compelling socio-economic strata (blue-collar, white-collar, no-collar), the chemistry was well-balanced, the players were fun to watch, and the finale kept fans at the edge of their seats.
For many, including this author, Mike Holloway was the well-deserving winner of the $1 Million dollar prize and distinction of sole-survivor, with Jeff Probst adding the further accolade of "member of the elite group of players."
But how did Mike play that set him apart from the others, and, if at all, what can be gleaned from his all-star performance? Let's take a look at a few possible characteristics:
1. Tenacity: Mike did not give up--ever. He was, as Will put it, "public enemy number one," and yet he played harder than anyone, even, when the chips were down, finding the hidden immunity idol that kept him in the game. So often, we are tempted to give up on dreams, or on relationships, or on our jobs when things get tough. Those who succeed are those who don't give up. They keep going, day after day, good and bad, easy and tough.
2. Care: Many of the cast-members during the final tribal council made claims about Mike that simply were not true (at least from what Survivor showed us). They claimed he was only out for himself, that he was aggressive, etc. But what they were blind to was his ability to care for those around him, even if they were against him. There was the time he whisked Shirin away from Will when the latter was heartlessly slandering her--the only one to step in. But there were other times as well, such as in spite of Dan's contempt for him, he tried to make honest deals with him as well as warn him of upcoming threats. After watching him for a while, one really got the sense that he played the game real. Life often expects us to put our game faces on, but it doesn't obligate us to step on others, and be careless and ruthless. Good guys (and girls of course) can finish first.
3. Solitude: I've written in past posts the importance of solitude as a state of being alone without being lonely. One of the claims Mike made about his victory was that he was able to dig deep inside himself, spend plenty of time alone, and be present for the strategies he needed to make. He wasn't privy to the idle chatter of the others, those who had ganged up against him to form an alliance, which proffered him an element of real freedom. He said during the Reunion Show that he was able to cast care to the wind, and play from his heart because that's all he had--himself. He showed the importance of solitude in our daily lives for living well, being present for the difficult decisions we need to make, and mustering up the courage to do so.
4. Love: One of the most touching scenes--as generally the case with Survivor--was the cast's reunion with their respective loved ones. We saw a different side, for instance, to Momma C when her husband lumbered out, bear hugged her, and told Jeff they had been married 40 years and she was the one who was the glue holding it all together. But it was Mike's relationship with his mom that showed a lot about his character: he was a caring, loving son who modelled respect and authentic appreciation for all she had done for him. In the midst of the stress of the game, he showed genuine care and love for her. We all need love; and our relationships with our parents, grand-parents, and other family members are so precious. Sometimes the stresses of life can hold us back from experience that real togetherness and care; sometimes we go far too long without calling our mom or dad or brother or sister--we let the yawning abyss of time stretch between those whom we love.
5. Hard work: I had a professor, a well-respected scholar in his field, encourage my colleagues and I with a maxim I will never forget: There's no substitute for hard work. Mike talked about his work ethic as a Texan oil-rigger--and then modelled it to his opponents and the world. Chopping wood, carrying water--that's what kept him honest; that's what gave him the solitude he needed to stay one step ahead. And that's also what gave him the opportunity to make alliances, admonish old ones, and make the kinds of social moves he needed to keep his torch lit. In this world of over-night karaoke successes, we have culturally missed the importance and reality of hard work, whether for that dream to come true, that promotion to come through, or your marriage to stay true. We can take a lot away as learning from Mike's dedication to hard work. dd
6. Honour: He for the most part kept his word, with the exception of keeping his money at the auction for an advantage while others spent theirs. And when Dan confronted him at the final tribal council about that, and the hurt and betrayal he felt, Mike hesitated not in delivering to Dan a very heartfelt, honouring apology--he kept it real, to the very end. His honour extended to those who may have hated him at the beginning and middle of the game, but honoured him at the end first by collectively placing the immunity idol around his neck at the end of the final challenge, and last by giving him their votes for sole-survivor. He played hard without losing his honour and compromising the honour of those around him. How often do we pass on the chance to honour another person? How often do we allow another's honour to be compromised without stepping in to help? How often do we dishonour a relationship with another without man-ing or woman-ing up and reconciling through heartfelt apology?
Survivor's strength as a show is it's ability to model life itself; a way for us to see ourselves (whether it be in the villain or the hero, the white-collar or the no-collar, the loud-mouth or the reticent one) and those relationships around us; how we play this 'game' called life.
The big difference is that Survivor is very much a winner take-all game, and life itself, the real meaning of it, is more open-ended: bring as many people into it, and allow the relationships to grow honourably and respectfully. Mike, in his play, brought those two types of games together--both in and out of 'Survivor'--and with that showed us a way we can do the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment