To what extremes do humans go to survive? Humans have been known to great lengths to survive. As Charles Darwin stated, survival is only for the fittest. Being the 'fittest' requires individuals to go to extreme lengths to survive. Individuals jump into shark-infested oceans to survive from capsizing ships while others turn into cannibals to survive from hunger. Therefore, people do things that they would not normally do to survive.
Humans normally do unthinkable things to survive; sometimes, they turn to cannibals. Often, people decide to kill and feed on the flesh of their colleagues or feed on dead people. A true example is the plane crash in the Andes in 1972. Out of the 45 passengers in the crash, 27 survived. They took a step towards their ultimate indignity to feed on the bodies of individuals who had died (Bever, 2016) . According to the survivors, it was the hardest thing they had to do. Nevertheless, they had to do it to survive. In a normal situation, eating human flesh is unthinkable. This incident shows that humans can go to extreme lengths to survive.
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Also, humans’ will to survive causes them to do extraordinary things, even if the chances of survival are slim. Normally, people will choose an 'honorable death' than the fate they face. An example is the 9/11 terror attack in New York City. The Twin Tower caught fire, trapping civilians inside. The civilians had two decisions: to hope that the fire would stop or jump through the windows hoping that they would survive the fall (Flynn & Dwyer, 2004) . Some people decided to jump. This shows that people will take desperate measures to survive, even if it means dying themse lves.
Additionally, people will go to great lengths for their survival and that of others. An example is the "Breaking Bad" TV show. Walter White, an underpaid chemistry teacher, who had six months to live as he had stage 3 lung cancer, decided to cook and sell methamphetamine to earn quick cash to safeguard his family's financial well-being (Gilligan et al., 2008). Walt's wife is expecting a child, and he has a son in high school. As a high school teacher, he does not have enough savings for his son's college and unborn daughter. Although methamphetamine is illegal and his brother-in-law is a DEA officer, Walt overcomes his fears. He forms a drug empire, selling his products even to international markets, like the Czech Republic. Walt eventually died but managed to leave behind enough money for his family to live a luxurious life and have his children learn without any financial problems (Gilligan et al., 2008). Although drug traffic is morally and legally wrong, Walter decided to risk his life, working with drug cartels and killers, for his family's financial survival. He would not have done that in a normal situation, but the fear of dying and leaving his family poor left him without another viable choice.
Conclusively, people do extraordinary things to survive. Sometimes, people will make unthinkable decisions, such as jumping from skyscrapers, selling drugs, and becoming cannibals to survive. The examples above show that humans can go to extreme lengths for their survival.
References
Bever, L. (2016, February 25). Cannibalism: Survivor of the 1972 Andes plane crash describes the 'terrible' decision he had to make to stay alive. Independent . https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/cannibalism-andes-plane-crash-1972-survivors-terrible-decision-stay-alive-a6895781.html
Flynn, K., & Dwyer, J. (2004, September 10). Falling Bodies, a 9/11 Image Etched in Pain. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/10/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/falling-bodies-a-911-image-etched-in-pain.html
Gilligan, V., Johnson, M., & MacLaren, M. (Producers). (2008). Breaking Bad [High Bridge Entertainment]. United States: AMC
