The “Was” and “Were” of Our Lives May Not Continue to “Be” as They Were

By: Yoram Yahav

I am covered with mud up to my knees, my face and upper body are considerably bruised, I am tired and feel filthy all the way down to my bones. It has been almost forty-eight hours since I have eaten or drank, not to mention slept, and my mood and stamina are somewhere way below the mud I am stepping on. Does this sound imaginary? Does it sound like a section from a book on survival of a virtual writer? Well, unfortunately it is the description of a young man who got lost in the Amazon region in Columbia.

Being raised in a tremendously healthy environment on the East Coast of the United States, Mark (alias) was used to having it all. Winter ski vacations in Vail, Colorado, summers in the Bahamas on his parents’ Yacht, a Porsche convertible which he received for his seventeenth birthday, private high school in Switzerland, private jets and unlimited expenses account through his teens and young adult life. In his mind, he thought he had it all. He enjoyed life, saw many countries and places, spoke four languages fluently and went to the best schools, while not worrying about finances. A girlfriend once called him a “spoiled brat” when he refused to fly in coach to one of the resort destinations. He laughed and told her that at least he had choices.

Life for Mark couldn’t have seemed brighter, until the 2008 economic crisis. It began without a warning. Mark’s father’s entire real estate empire along with some of his largest investments collapsed overnight. The yacht, planes, fancy cars and houses, were all confiscated and whatever cash was left, was used to repay lenders. Mark’s father sank into heavy depression and at the end of 2009 got a stroke and shortly thereafter a heart attack. He has been out of it ever since. His mother followed suit not long afterwards and no one truly knew whether she died from depression or the cancer which was eating her up from the inside.

rainforestMark left school and did not fly first class anymore, he actually could not even afford flying coach to a city close by. He lived at a friend’s summer house who pitied him, lost much weight and was depressed most of the time. He did not have any spark to continue living. One day, a cousin from Brazil who worked for the Peace Corps for several years, sent him a ticket and invited him to join a project in the Amazons. The cousin came up to the States and literally pushed him to fly with him. They worked in a remote village with no running water or electricity.

In the beginning it was tough for the spoiled kid who did not want to fly coach. But slowly, he started to like the people who lived a simple and honest life style. He gained weight and became stronger and even began playing the guitar. As he told me, it was one of the best times in his life. In the winter of 2011, just before returning to the States, he decided to hike down the river for two days. The two days were over when he realized he got lost. He continued to wander without food or sleep — an experience which changed his life forever. When his cousin and a search team found him, he nearly collapsed. They brought him back home to safety and he eventually recovered.

I am writing this story in such detail because Mark’s awakening has and will happen to many of us. Today he is finishing graduate school and works in helping women and children in need. He realizes that life doesn’t revolve around money. I was struck by his story and I recommend all my dear readers to think about the lessons learnt by it.