58 pages • 1 hour read
Christina SoontornvatA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Throughout the book, Soontornvat highlights several examples of teamwork and communication to show that these qualities are essential to a successful endeavor. She contrasts the problems created by a lack of communication and teamwork with the positive outcomes that accompany open communication and willingness to work together.
One example of positive communication and teamwork is the Wild Boars soccer team. Although they differ in age, the boys on the team are close-knit and are used to spending time together both on and off the soccer field. Before the 12 boys became trapped in Tham Luang, they went through a lot together that helped forge their teamwork and spirit of resilience. For example, they won and lost soccer games together, and they went on outdoor adventures that required perseverance. These activities helped foster a spirit of teamwork in the Wild Boars. They also learned to communicate well with each other. Coach Ek allowed the team to make decisions together, so everyone got to voice an opinion. The teamwork and communication skills that the Wild Boars cultivated prior to their experience in Tham Luang allowed them to encourage each other and stay strong together while inside the cave.
In addition, Soontornvat offers examples of the negative results of failing to communicate well or work together as a team. The Tham Luang rescue brought together tens of thousands of volunteers from all over the globe. It’s no surprise that with so many different groups recruited to help, communication was challenging. Language barriers and cultural differences added to the separations between groups. Some of the main groups of rescuers at base camp were the US Air Force, Royal Thai Navy SEALs, Thai government leaders, and British divers. Although all these groups had the same goal (to get the boys safely out of the cave), they each had different ideas about the best way to go about reaching that goal. Disagreements among the groups seemed to make each group communicate less with others, which meant that some groups were missing pieces of information about the situation and were therefore unable to develop informed opinions. Because communication among the groups was strained, they often didn’t work well as teammates.
However, Soontornvat shows that when communication is more open, teamwork and progress follow. She highlights Thanet and Colonel Singhanat as the bridges that brought groups together and opened the door for better communication. Once the Thai leaders heard a detailed explanation of why a dive rescue was the most feasible option, they agreed with the US Air Force and British divers. All it took to reach this unified conclusion was the effort to clearly and respectfully communicate the facts. Once the groups were unified in their plan, they were able to work well together as the team.
Soontornvat shows how many different groups worked together to make the rescue happen. The Air Force did much of the planning and facilitated practice leading up to the rescue, the British divers reached the boys and brought them through the flooded sections of the cave, the Thai Navy SEALs brought the boys over the dry land chambers of the cave to the surface, and the Thai government leaders communicated with the boys’ families and the media. Each group had a different role, and they worked well together to bring about the successful result of rescuing all 12 boys and their coach. Soontornvat illustrates the pitfalls of failing to communicate and work as a team, yet she highlights the benefits of working together and keeping communication open.
Soontornvat highlights resilience as a vital component of overcoming difficult circumstances. She shows how the resilience of both the boys in the cave and of the rescue workers and volunteers contributed to the boys’ survival.
The boys exemplified resilience throughout their 18 days in the cave, and Soontornvat suggests that they needed this quality to stay alive. The team fosters resilience through playing soccer, and Soontornvat draws a parallel between digging deep when losing during a soccer game and staying determined in the face of uncertain and cruel conditions like those in Tham Luang. Although ordinary boys, they stayed amazingly positive and mentally tough despite the adversity they experienced. Soontornvat explains that the boys took every opportunity to improve their situation. They tried different things, like digging, to increase their chances of survival and keep hope alive. Soontornvat shows that they made the choice to keep trying and keep surviving, and this choice was essential to their staying alive.
Another example of resilience in the narrative is the Get It Done Crew. This group was a team of people who solved problems, such as finding items that were needed by rescuers, cooking meals for the SEALs and divers, and doing behind-the-scenes work vital to the rescue operation’s success. The Get It Done Crew could have chosen to complain or to pass their responsibilities to someone else as the days at base camp continued. They could have given up on obtaining items that were difficult to find or far away. However, they didn’t do any of these things. They continued with their work despite fatigue, difficulty, and lack of recognition. This crew exemplified resilience. Although they weren’t directly involved in the rescue or in keeping the boys alive, the work they did facilitated these results.
Among the many other examples of resilience in the narrative were Thanet and his team. They worked independently of base camp to divert water from Tham Luang. Although they lacked the resources they needed to dig and divert water, they didn’t let this stop them. Thanet found volunteers to lend digging equipment, and his team improvised, using natural materials like bamboo and vines to build water diversion structures. Their ingenuity in figuring out solutions despite a lack of resources exemplifies resilience. Furthermore, Thanet and his team withstood fatigue, minor injuries, and the difficult working conditions of constant rain. Many people, including some of the Thai leadership, were unaware of the important work Thanet and his team were doing, and they didn’t receive much media coverage. Nevertheless, the team members stayed focused on their goal. Although they couldn’t see results right away, the water levels eventually began to recede. Because this team stayed consistent and determined, the cave divers were able to enter the cave and rescue the boys.
Soontornvat’s theme of resilience inspires readers to be resilient in the life circumstances they face. She shows that resilient people don’t need special training and may not have been through extraordinary experiences before. Resilience is a quality anyone can cultivate; a person needs only the determination and grit to stay focused and strong.
When one thinks about surviving in difficult conditions or considers the elements necessary for survival, it’s typical to first think about physical essentials: food, water, oxygen, shelter, etc. However, Soontornvat’s telling of the Thai cave rescue shows that survival isn’t just physical. In fact, the physical side of things for the 12 boys, though surely important, wasn’t as crucial as the mental side.
While in the cave, the boys were completely powerless against their physical environment. They couldn’t control the rising water levels, the lack of food, the darkness, or the thickness of the cave walls. The only thing they could control was their minds. Soontornvat highlights this distinction and shows how the boys relied on meditation to stay calm, breathe evenly, and remain clearheaded. When the boys were finally found and were informed in general terms how they’d be rescued, they didn’t protest or ask questions. Soontornvat suggests that part of this reaction is the politeness their culture demands, yet another part is their calm minds. She shows how mental strength is essential to the boys’ survival; their will to survive in their minds was strong enough to help them stay tough despite the physical decline of their bodies.
Another example of mental strength in the narrative is the rescue divers. Many of the cave divers exhibited amazing problem-solving abilities under pressure and in dangerous situations. Soontornvat explains how panic can be more dangerous than the underwater cave conditions, and gives examples of how divers like Rick, John, and Jason prevent panic by mentally training for each dive. She explains how practice helped prepare the divers for the cave rescue, not only physically but also mentally. By anticipating problems ahead of time, they stayed calm under pressure and could think clearly and quickly to find a solution. For example, when Rick and John unexpectedly found four men trapped in Chamber 3 on their first dive in Tham Luang, they had to immediately adjust their expectations of what the dive would entail, and they created a plan and successfully extracted the men, even though this rescue was unplanned. This example, as well as several others involving the cave divers’ problem-solving abilities, emphasizes the importance of mental composure in surviving treacherous circumstances.
US Air Force Major Charles Hodges is yet another example of mental strength in the cave rescue story. When Major Hodges entered base camp, he vowed to keep emotions out of his decision-making and evaluation processes, and he urged his team to do the same. This task was more difficult than it might seem; the boys’ families were present at base camp, and the ages of the boys heightened the urgency to rescue them. However, Major Hodges showed mental strength by being realistic about the boys’ chances of survival. Although some of his predictions may seem shocking or harsh, they showed his ability to remain mentally strong in a trying situation.
The major’s job was to evaluate facts and make the best decisions based on the information he had. His ability to evaluate all the rescue options without getting his emotions involved is what led him to convince Thai leaders that the dive rescue was their best chance for success. Major Hodges illustrates that part of mental toughness is directing one’s focus to what’s most prudent—and having enough self-control to keep emotions out of the way when it’s best for those involved.
The Wild Boars, the cave divers, Major Hodges, and several others in the narrative exhibited amazing mental strength. Soontornvat highlights this psychological side of survival and shows that it’s every bit as important as the physical side. Without so many mentally tough people involved in the rescue, and without mental toughness on the part of the soccer team, the rescue at Tham Luang would likely not have been successful.
By Christina Soontornvat
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