SPOILER ALERT, just in case you haven’t seen the movie or read the book. But seriously, at least watch the movie now. NOW! I’ll wait until you book for your tickets online.
………………………. okay done?
Excellent. Now read this entry after you’ve seen it.
Now for you actual hip, up-to-date, movie and science nerds out there, you may read on….
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or have no real interest in anything cool, you might have heard that “The Martian” (both the book and the movie) has been largely praised for its gripping suspense, its generous speckles of irreverent humor, and its “reasonably realistic” portrayal of the science behind space exploration and the culture of the various organizations behind it.
As someone who has a mild to moderate obsession with all things space, I have immensely enjoyed reading the novel, which I’ve perfectly timed finishing so that I get to immediately watch the movie during its first week of release.
While everyone has been talking about the science depicted in the film / book, and its timely release with NASA’s most recent announcement about the Red Planet, a lot of the discussions don’t extensively discuss the whole human aspect of story which essentially drives the plot: how Mark Watney uses his skills, intelligence and wit to overcome this nearly impossible task of survival and how the rest of the world scrambles to save him.
If you look beyond the science and the thrills there’s actually a lot we can learn from this piece of fiction on how to be better people: to be more effective problem-solvers, to be better in touch with both our rationality and emotions, and to be more aware and concerned about things bigger and more important than our own interests.
So what are the things “The Martian” can teach us, that’s not about Mars or other science stuff?
It pays to be well-loved
In the book, Irene Shields, the Ares missions flight psychologist mentions in her interview with CNN that Mark Watney, the story’s protagonist “not only fits well in any social group, he’s the catalyst to make the group work better.” Apart from being a capable part of the crew, he had the personality, wit and sense of humor the become the gel that made the Ares 3 crew cohesive enough to actually care about him when they found out he was alive and initiate a mutiny against NASA to get him back.
Having a Sense of Humor amidst a dire, serious situation can save your life
One of Mark’s primary concerns being stranded in Mars was his food supply. Needless to say he was in deep shit.
And appropriately enough “shit” was a way for him to save his life: infusing nutrient rich bacteria to “dead” Martian soil to grow potatoes. And what better way to express this than a line from Log Entry in Sol 14: “My asshole is doing as much to keep me alive as my brain.”
Hehe. As a reader it gave me a slight chuckle. But for Mark, this was a way to keep his level head to find ways to keep himself alive.
Irreverence can help keep you sane
Understandably, immense stress can eventually break a person. By all means, this should’ve happened to Mark. But because he’s a little nuts in the brain, he diminished the effect of his dire situation on his psyche by occasionally channeling his thoughts towards silliness and absurdity.
Deal with Fear by taking it all in, lash out, then let it all go away
For a lot of people, fear can be paralyzing. And for most people it’ll cause outbursts of emotion. The more important thing is what one will do next after internalizing it. Mark did not turn his fear into panic when the airlock he was in blew away from the Hab trapping him in a more mini life or death situation (as opposed to the larger one he was already in).
Instead, he let the fear take over him, went into a tantrum and let out all the steam, leaving his objective, rational mind to take over his next course of action.
It’s all about the small wins
With almost everything going against Mark, he should’ve died on Mars. Instead of going into a frenzied, irrational, panic, he split the ginormous task of survival into smaller tasks that are easier to manage. So every challenge solved, from difficult ones such as bringing back Pathfinder to help set up communications back to Earth, to the many tiny tasks that somehow involve duct tape as a quick fix, are many small but important victories that contribute to a larger goal.
Trust in yourself and others
While the initial part of Mark’s survival story was a fully one-man job done through MacGyver-ish dexterity*, getting himself back to Earth needed the full resources of NASA, and as well as, as it was revealed in the story, the resources of the world’s space exploration community. While he gambled on his own skills to get stuff done, he also fully trusted on NASA to react once he got communications up, and their motivations to use everything at their disposal to save him.
*if you don’t get the MacGyver reference because you did not grow up in the 1980s, read more about him here. I also just realized that in noting this reference, I just revealed my oldness.
Know, appreciate and respect the Legacy of the people before you
The only reason Mark Watney was able to speak to NASA was the existence of the Pathfinder Lander and Sojourner rovers from the Mars Exploration missions all the way back from 1997. Knowing and understanding the legacy of past Mars missions actually saved his life! This is a lesson for all of us to never underestimate and always respect the value of the past efforts of the trailblazers / pioneers in whatever organization you’re in.
And in understanding the importance of legacy, you can also appreciate the fact that what you’re doing now will eventually leave a lasting impact for others in the future.
Yes. That also includes your screw ups.
The movie and the book was a fantastic thrill ride that puts humanity’s space exploration efforts into perspective: the cost, the dangers, and the immense importance of such endeavors that it has the potential to bring the world together.
More importantly, it was a great story that portrays how one man’s ingenuity, wit, charisma and perseverance can not only save himself, but unite different people and organizations with varying, even conflicting interests to work towards a worthy cause.
So here’s to you, Mark Watney, the world’s most popular, most highly decorated, most well-loved fictional astronaut in recent times! You taught us how to become better human beings.
humid monkey 