Sense of Humor and Survival

A Sense of Survival

      In a life or death survival scenario, there are generally some common things people think are important to have: water, shelter, food, etc. But who ever considers a sense of humor and an upbeat attitude to be a part of that list? In the book/movie The Martian, the main character (Mark Watney) is trapped on Mars after an emergency departure by the rest of the crew leaves him stranded alone. Throughout the story, Mark goes through a rollercoaster of emotions due to things going both good and bad for him, but even during the low points Mark tries to maintain a positive attitude and add humor to his predicament. Humor in survival situations is nearly essential, because it helps boost the overall morale of the person/people trying to survive and helps to provide a positive outlook even during situations that aren't exactly ideal. This humorous behavior can be noted multiple times throughout The Martian. For example, one of my favorite instances of Mark Watney's humor despite his bad situation is when he says, "I admit it's fatally dangerous, but I'd get to fly around like Iron Man." This quote just goes to show Mark is finding humor in trying to come up with solutions to live and escape Mars, even though it is extremely difficult, frustrating, and dangerous. Overall, survival can depend on the usual expected things such as food and water, shelter, and a general knowledge of how to survive, but another big contributor to survival is having a positive outlook (as much as possible) and trying to have a sense of humor through the tough times.