[Lansing] (Endurance) Theme Three: Diversity (Vocabulary word: Antithesis)

An intensely debated question is: "Can two people be exactly similar to one another?" My belief on this topic is that two people can superficially appear similar, but when desperate situations occur that bring out the inner self, no two people are alike. Shackleton's skeleton crew aboard the Endurance was a mixture of hardened seamen, experienced arctic navigators, academic scholars, scientists, specialists, a cook, and even a stowaway. The group worked cohesively when conditions were favorable, but some separated in different ways when conditions turned unfavorable and true characters were exhibited. McNeish refused to pull sleds because he thought he was no longer legally required to follow Shackleton's command after the Endurance sank, Orde-Lees refused to row because of his sea-sickness, Greenstreet secretly blamed Shackleton for food shortages, all of these examples showed the true characters of a crew under pressure.

Arguments, disagreements, and clashes over what should be done are common occurrences, even for a crew stranded in the middle of one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.

These methods of contention reveal another aspect of the crew's diversity, personality. Choice of career, experiences, and backgrounds all contribute to the individual personalities of the crew. Backgrounds ranged from poor but strong workers to accomplished academics seeking adventure. The crew eventually picked up on these clashing personalities in part two: "As for James, he probably never should have gone with the expedition at all. He had an academic background and a rather sheltered upbringing. He was a scholar and an extremely capable and dedicated scientist, but in practical matters he was very unhandy and a little unwilling... In personality, he was roughly the antithesis of Shackleton." Lansing describes not only clashing personalities, but also opposing ones in which he describes them as antithetical. Literally, antithesis is defined as, "a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced." Metaphorically, the balance between James' and Shackleton's personalities could be described as opposite, meaning the range of personalities is also diverse.

I once attended a week-long leadership camp with an assigned group of people that I had never met before. Of the group, there were two pyromaniacs, an amateur comedian, an athlete, a homesick boy, and a dictatorial leader. There were clashes over what to do, proper procedures, and food portions. It was the diversity and personalities of the group, much like Shackleton's crew, that caused the clashes, but both groups made it through in the end.