Meeting the Challenge

 

Choose Life

“I had a choice: to stay above the water or drown. I was angry that my own people would treat me this way, but eventually I recognized the wisdom of their actions. They deprived me of any other way of surviving, forcing me to use my body in new ways in order to survive the ordeal they had imposed on me…the outcome now depended upon my attitude, my ability to draw from the mists of the universe that which I most needed.”

David Chethlahe Paladin (Painting the Dream, p.11; Park Street Press, 1992)

          David Chethlahe Paladin, citizen of the Navajo nation and amazing artist, was recruited by the United States Military to the Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the CIA) in 1941. He was sent to carry out espionage behind German lines, captured and sent to a POW work camp. There, he suffered terrible beatings, and torture, but survived and was eventually freed. His story is both horrifying and inspiring; he came back from the war an angry, bitter man, crippled in body and spirit, prepared to enter a VA hospital for the rest of his life. Thankfully, his own people saved his soul by throwing him into the Colorado River at high flood stage, forcing him to choose life or death. Paladin went on to become a prolific artist and teacher. His wife, Lynda, published Painting the Dream after he died in 1984. You can view examples of his work on the website, “The Vision of David Paladin.”

          Of course, stories of survival abound, and Paladin’s is just one of them. We all have our mini-survival stories. Such is the nature of life—abundance one day, scarcity the next. The whole point is to overcome whatever obstacles confront you. The ancient people of Greece believed their gods on Mt. Olympus intervened in human life as a sort of sport—who can survive this challenge, who must be punished for hubris, indifference or disobedience. Some people still believe that the Christian God rewards or punishes according to some random set of standards. As for me, I think that’s just life—random and unplanned; meant to provide opportunities for making choices and living with the consequences.

          As David Paladin’s Navajo elders knew, it’s up to us to navigate the currents of our particular river. Our attitude and determination mean everything. The psychologists at Harvard agree with the Navajo elders that “grit” is the most important determinant of success. To survive being thrown into the Colorado river, David Paladin had to let go of his anger and bitterness, realize they’re incompatible with living a satisfying and productive life—and choose life. He did. We can too.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane