I watched only the first three seasons of the History Channel’s “Alone”. I think binge-watching three seasons is more than enough, and anyway, that’s all I could find on Prime Video.
While watching, I was thinking about the lessons I could learn from the series to convince myself that I’m not just wasting my time. Here are the lessons I wrote to myself:
Surviving alone is difficult (duh!). We are social creatures and need not only interaction but also support from others.
What separates the winners from those who decide to retire? I couldn’t completely grasp it, but it seems to be a lot about willpower and focusing on surviving the day. The third season was a bit more interesting as some players were forced to retire so as not to hurt themselves. They had the willpower but not the fat reserves and luck (?) to catch food.
Mistakes in nature are costly, such as falling while climbing, cutting yourself, or suffering hypothermia after falling into cold water. Even some of the most talented players who built amazing boats and tools failed to survive due to mistakes.
In our normal lives, this is actually less relevant. Mistakes can be costly, but much less so. Medical care and support from others (and the government) can help our survival. We should worry less about mistakes nowadays.
There is a scarcity of food these days. Not only were the players limited in what resources they could consume, but resources were also limited due to pollution and extinction of species.
All players went back really appreciating their lives and families and understanding that they can survive whatever may happen to them. They can work in jobs they do not enjoy, but at the end of the day, they go back home to their families and dinner. It is sometimes important to disconnect from day-to-day lives to rediscover it.