Exploring the Psychological Effects of Plane Crash Survival: A Study

This essay delves into the profound psychological effects of surviving a plane crash. The author reflects on the trauma, the moral and ethical dilemmas faced, and the lasting impact on their perception of the world. The narrative explores the struggle for survival, including the extreme measures taken to endure and the subsequent emotional and psychological toll. The essay highlights the themes of guilt, loss, and the struggle to reconcile with the past, questioning the value of material possessions and societal norms in the face of such extreme experiences. The author grapples with the challenges of reintegration, the lingering memories, and the desire for a way to forget the events, emphasizing the enduring impact of the experience on their identity and outlook on life. The essay is a poignant exploration of the human condition under extreme circumstances, offering insights into the complexities of trauma, resilience, and the search for meaning in the aftermath of tragedy.

How Far are We Unwilling to Go?
Although many people are of the opinion that the survivors were saved from the plane crash but in
actuality it ended my life. The way I understood the world had changed forever. The survival
demanded something extraordinary from every individual who was able to survive the crash and the
cold. Moments after we were rescued, I thought to myself what now? We had never imagined this
fact that we would be saved or survive the cold and the extreme starvation that drove us to eat our
own people. Plane crashes are indeed extreme but surviving them under the circumstances that we
did, changed everything about our history and our future.
The whole idea of education and getting a job to run the corporate rat race diminished. Our
understanding of the world had changed. The main idea behind survival is the need for heat to keep
our bodies warm and get enough food on our plate each day. The riches of the world and the hunger
for money and success had warn off. There was no path that suited the most. Everything seemed
pointless as a human being cannot eat money to survive the bitter cold. The human flesh
consumption and the bitterness of the nights and day has moved something in us.
I shall never be the same. I have gone through every possibility and every other way to make this life
work. I even considered telling the world the truth inch by inch about our survival story but it is too
bitter to be written in words or to be read by the world in general. What we as survivors went
through should not be a tale that other human beings must know. Carrying human flesh for 12 days
in my socks to survive and ensure I don’t die of hunger by the time I reach another human being to
get help was another struggle in itself. The legs felt heavier than ever before. At times, we have felt
the ghosts of our friends haunting us and asking us why they did not survive.
Life after the crash hasn’t been the same and it can never be. Not only because we perceive the world
as a different place to be but also because how people see us. With time, many have forgotten the
crash and the stories of our survival but it is still fresh in my mind and soul. I can still recall every
minute of every day. Survival makes a human being into an animal and hence I question myself each
day on the need for the various luxuries in life when all we need is food, warmth and shelter. The
way we see the world can never change now and we beg the God to take our lives so we can forget
what we did and what happened. I want to get rid of the screams of our loved ones and the taste of
human flesh and blood. I have often contemplated on taking my own life but the courage to do the
same hasn’t set in.