What life lesson did you draw from "Man Mission" and how do you see it impacting your life?

Use this forum to discuss the January 2020 Book of the month, "Man Mission: 4 men, 15 years, 1 epic journey", by Eytan Uliel.
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Laura Lee
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What life lesson did you draw from "Man Mission" and how do you see it impacting your life?

Post by Laura Lee »

In Man Mission, Eytan Uliel skillfully interweaves the men's journeys with the life lessons he, as narrator, learns along the way. What is your favorite life lesson from the book and why?

My favorite is the observations of life shared by Peter, the German catamaran captain on Man Mission VIII, the trip to Thailand. On page 177 he tells the men: "I know what I do is strange and exotic to you . . . But that's my job . . . After a while, whatever you do in life becomes normal. I chose this life, and so this is normal for me. You have a different life, and so that is normal for you. We are all made of our experiences. The good thing is that anytime we want, we can change those experiences and change our life . . . If you choose a different life it will be strange at first, but in time almost anything can become normal."

Then he adds the challenge: "The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

I really like Peter's perspective. Fear can be paralyzing. It can keep us back from pursuing our dreams. But if we will find the courage to pursue those dreams, even the most out-of-the-normal-rut experiences can become our new normal. I like that attitude and want to apply that to my own life.

What about you? What is your take-away from the book?
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tannus
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Post by tannus »

Laura Lee wrote: 02 Jan 2020, 12:08 In Man Mission, Eytan Uliel skillfully interweaves the men's journeys with the life lessons he, as narrator, learns along the way. What is your favorite life lesson from the book and why?

My favorite is the observations of life shared by Peter, the German catamaran captain on Man Mission VIII, the trip to Thailand. On page 177 he tells the men: "I know what I do is strange and exotic to you . . . But that's my job . . . After a while, whatever you do in life becomes normal. I chose this life, and so this is normal for me. You have a different life, and so that is normal for you. We are all made of our experiences. The good thing is that anytime we want, we can change those experiences and change our life . . . If you choose a different life it will be strange at first, but in time almost anything can become normal."

Then he adds the challenge: "The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

I really like Peter's perspective. Fear can be paralyzing. It can keep us back from pursuing our dreams. But if we will find the courage to pursue those dreams, even the most out-of-the-normal-rut experiences can become our new normal. I like that attitude and want to apply that to my own life.

What about you? What is your take-away from the book?
Your observation is wonderful. And great explanation too. It is true that after a while out of the world experiences can become normal. We just have to find courage to start in the beginning to know the unknown.
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Post by Bles »

Laura Lee wrote: 02 Jan 2020, 12:08 In Man Mission, Eytan Uliel skillfully interweaves the men's journeys with the life lessons he, as narrator, learns along the way. What is your favorite life lesson from the book and why?

My favorite is the observations of life shared by Peter, the German catamaran captain on Man Mission VIII, the trip to Thailand. On page 177 he tells the men: "I know what I do is strange and exotic to you . . . But that's my job . . . After a while, whatever you do in life becomes normal. I chose this life, and so this is normal for me. You have a different life, and so that is normal for you. We are all made of our experiences. The good thing is that anytime we want, we can change those experiences and change our life . . . If you choose a different life it will be strange at first, but in time almost anything can become normal."

Then he adds the challenge: "The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

I really like Peter's perspective. Fear can be paralyzing. It can keep us back from pursuing our dreams. But if we will find the courage to pursue those dreams, even the most out-of-the-normal-rut experiences can become our new normal. I like that attitude and want to apply that to my own life.

What about you? What is your take-away from the book?
I concur with you on this. Courage is all we lack but the moment we decide to face our fears and indulge in what we so much fear, after some experience we realize that we shouldn't really have feared. We therefore embrace the new change and carry on.
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Post by Charlyt »

Laura Lee wrote: 02 Jan 2020, 12:08 My favorite is the observations of life shared by Peter, the German catamaran captain on Man Mission VIII, the trip to Thailand. On page 177 he tells the men: "I know what I do is strange and exotic to you . . . But that's my job . . . After a while, whatever you do in life becomes normal. I chose this life, and so this is normal for me. You have a different life, and so that is normal for you. We are all made of our experiences. The good thing is that anytime we want, we can change those experiences and change our life . . . If you choose a different life it will be strange at first, but in time almost anything can become normal."

Then he adds the challenge: "The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

I really like Peter's perspective. Fear can be paralyzing. It can keep us back from pursuing our dreams. But if we will find the courage to pursue those dreams, even the most out-of-the-normal-rut experiences can become our new normal. I like that attitude and want to apply that to my own life.
I felt a little emotional reading this part as if Peter was talking to me as well. :lol:
My take away was that we should keep pushing our own abilities even if we thought we have reached our limit. And having great friends by our side helps as well
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Post by Laura Lee »

tannus wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 00:54 Your observation is wonderful. And great explanation too. It is true that after a while out of the world experiences can become normal. We just have to find courage to start in the beginning to know the unknown.
Exactly! It takes courage to get off your rear and make a change, but I like that whatever it is we are wanting, regardless of how different it may be from our norm, may be come our NEW norm.
Last edited by Laura Lee on 03 Jan 2020, 08:06, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Laura Lee »

Bles wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 04:27 I concur with you on this. Courage is all we lack but the moment we decide to face our fears and indulge in what we so much fear, after some experience we realize that we shouldn't really have feared. We therefore embrace the new change and carry on.
Right! I found that inspiring. :)
Last edited by Laura Lee on 03 Jan 2020, 08:06, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Laura Lee »

Charlyt wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 07:39 I felt a little emotional reading this part as if Peter was talking to me as well. :lol:
My take away was that we should keep pushing our own abilities even if we thought we have reached our limit. And having great friends by our side helps as well
Thanks, Charlyt. These nuggets of wisdom gleaned from life experience are throughout the book--especially the latter part. I really appreciated them. :)
Laura Lee

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― Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx
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Post by Diana Lowery »

"I felt a little emotional reading this part as if Peter was talking to me as well. :lol: "

What a wonderful compliment to the author! Being able to reach a reader on this level takes a lot of talent. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by unamilagra »

I don't know if this is a lesson per se, but the part that struck me most is when Sam found out his dad died. "And that means I’ll never be the child again. Just like that, poof-I’m the grownup now.”

My mom is going through treatment for stage IV cancer, and I know it's only a matter of time before I will lose her. It's really hard to think about what it will be like when your parent is gone forever. Reading this really helped me be more empathetic to my friends who have already lost their parents, and gave me insight into what I will be experiencing at some point too.
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Post by Laura Lee »

unamilagra wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 17:47 I don't know if this is a lesson per se, but the part that struck me most is when Sam found out his dad died. "And that means I’ll never be the child again. Just like that, poof-I’m the grownup now.”

My mom is going through treatment for stage IV cancer, and I know it's only a matter of time before I will lose her. It's really hard to think about what it will be like when your parent is gone forever. Reading this really helped me be more empathetic to my friends who have already lost their parents, and gave me insight into what I will be experiencing at some point too.
That is true. That comment really struck me as well. My mother is 80. I don't think we're ever ready to be without a parent. It's hard to contemplate being completely alone. Being the adult, without an adult generation to have your back. I'm so sorry for what you and your mom are going through.
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I think my favorite life lesson from the book was just to spend more time with my friends. I lost touch with so many good friends after school to focus more on my career. I realize now that I should catch up with them and that I need to make more time for my friends.
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Post by Laura Lee »

diamonnd wrote: 05 Jan 2020, 15:33 I think my favorite life lesson from the book was just to spend more time with my friends. I lost touch with so many good friends after school to focus more on my career. I realize now that I should catch up with them and that I need to make more time for my friends.
That's a good point, too. It's so hard to make such deep friendships when we're out of school and focused on other things.
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Post by Nerea »

unamilagra wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 17:47 I don't know if this is a lesson per se, but the part that struck me most is when Sam found out his dad died. "And that means I’ll never be the child again. Just like that, poof-I’m the grownup now.”

My mom is going through treatment for stage IV cancer, and I know it's only a matter of time before I will lose her. It's really hard to think about what it will be like when your parent is gone forever. Reading this really helped me be more empathetic to my friends who have already lost their parents, and gave me insight into what I will be experiencing at some point too.
Following. Sam's experience reminded me, even the strongest get broken sometimes. Death is inevitable and it'll eventually come knocking at the door, but how will we react when we receive the news about the death of our loved ones. I'm always scared that one day I'll receive a call that my dad is gone. The scariest part is how will I react to the message. Sam did well to express his emotions and feelings to his friends, which I think helped him to cope with the situation. Also, being there for a friend who has lost a parent or a loved one in death can be relieving and comforting them.
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Post by Nerea »

Laura Lee wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 18:33
unamilagra wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 17:47 I don't know if this is a lesson per se, but the part that struck me most is when Sam found out his dad died. "And that means I’ll never be the child again. Just like that, poof-I’m the grownup now.”

My mom is going through treatment for stage IV cancer, and I know it's only a matter of time before I will lose her. It's really hard to think about what it will be like when your parent is gone forever. Reading this really helped me be more empathetic to my friends who have already lost their parents, and gave me insight into what I will be experiencing at some point too.
That is true. That comment really struck me as well. My mother is 80. I don't think we're ever ready to be without a parent. It's hard to contemplate being completely alone. Being the adult, without an adult generation to have your back. I'm so sorry for what you and your mom are going through.
I agree. "We are never ready to be without a parent." And when it happens, we get broken (beyond repair sometimes :cry: ). I'm just scared.
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Post by Nerea »

diamonnd wrote: 05 Jan 2020, 15:33 I think my favorite life lesson from the book was just to spend more time with my friends. I lost touch with so many good friends after school to focus more on my career. I realize now that I should catch up with them and that I need to make more time for my friends.
Sure thing. Friends play a vital role in our lives and creating more time for them will help deepen your relationship with them. That's a wise decision.
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