Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island. We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines. Life there is simple and good. Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work. The other side of the picture is quite the opposite. Life on a desert island is wretched. You either starve or live like Robinson Crusoe, waiting for a boat which never comes.
Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer. They were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired. During the journey, their boat began to sink. They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy with food, matches, and cans of beer and rowed for a few miles across the Caribbean until they arrived at a tiny coral island.
The men collected rainwater in the rubber dinghy. As they had brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat. They caught lobster and fish every day, and, as one of them put it, ate like kings. When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave.
This experience has taught us that desert island life can be quite pleasant. The popular image of a desert island as a place of suffering and hardship is often far from reality. With proper preparation and the right attitude, even an unexpected stay on a remote island can become an adventure rather than a disaster.
The story of these two men challenges our preconceptions about desert island life. Their experience shows that survival can be not just possible, but enjoyable when one has the right resources and maintains a positive outlook. This tale reminds us that reality often differs from our imagination, and that even challenging situations can become rewarding adventures.