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Can you imagine losing a part of your body? Waking up one day and not having a hand, or a leg? It is something no one wants to think about. Losing a limb is losing apart of you, and it cannot be replaced. Your whole lifestyle will have to be changed, and you will never be able to live your life the same way that you had in the past. We all can only imagine the horror, but none of us would like to think about it for very long. Let's take this to the next level. How would you feel if you knew that the only way that you could survive is to remove a part of your own body? How about with no anesthetic?
If a wild fox gets its leg caught in a bear trap, it will bite and gnaw at its leg until it is completely amputated. The fox knows that there is no way to get food, and that it will ultimately die in the situation that it is in. Natural instincts tell us that we must do anything to survive so that we may continue to reproduce and progress the species. We as human beings have numbed our instincts over the years with our intelligence. If we were pinned in a bear trap and an option would be to remove our own limbs, our minds may tell us not to. There is a chance that help will come, but there are certain situations where help won't come. You are only left with one question: Will you chance waiting through all of your pain, thirst, and hunger for someone to find you, or will you have to remove a piece of your own body to live on.
These questions were all sparked in my mind when I had come across the movie trailer for a British film called 127 Hours:
Now I am not saying this movie looks amazing. As a matter of fact, I think this movie looks horrible. It might be good, since it is Directed by the same man that has given us Slumdog Millionaire. If you haven't seen Slumdog, please do. It is a great film and I do not think there are many people out there that will be able to legitimately tell you otherwise. Anyway, I am not exactly sure what made me take a second glimpse of the film, but when I saw that it was based on a true story, I looked into it a little more.
Aron Rolston, the person played by James Franco in the 127 Hours, has asked himself the question that I have mentioned at the beginning of this post. He was put in a situation where he would either amputate his own arm with a dull utility knife, or die of thirst in the desert. Unfortunately, he did not tell anyone where he was, and he knew that realistically that he would be dead way before anyone had ever found him. He spent an hour removing his right upper arm due to the large boulder that had pinned him in a crevice. I had found this video of him returning to this spot, and explaining what he had gone through. Just so you have been warned, his descriptions are greatly detailed, and it may be something those faint of heart would not want to watch.
It is amazing the amount of willpower that Mr. Ralston has. Putting myself in this situation, I do not know if I would be able to do it. He lives on to tell his story, and has my utmost respect. Especially since he returns to the exact same spot and relives that horrible day for our amusement. He also still mountain climbs to this day, even with a mechanical arm.
As far as this film goes, I do not believe that they will be able to capture the same feeling I get as watching the video above. It is pretty obvious that they added a great deal to the film so that it would be more exciting for viewers. It just makes the film look tacky at this point.
So what do you think you would do if you were in the same situation? I do not know that I would be able to bring myself to do it. I do not even think that I would be able to stay conscious through all the pain. A body's natural response to continuous intense pain is to pass out. It is amazing that Aron was able to keep going. With the circumstances he was in though, I may be able to do it. If I knew that it was either that or dying, maybe.
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