Surviving the Jungle | Yossi Ghinsberg | 2018 YPO EDGE Singapore — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:01[Music]
2. 0:14[Music]
3. 0:19[Music]
4. 0:40[Applause]
5. 0:45well that moment was a moment where my
6. 0:49long life dream suddenly turned into a
7. 0:52nightmare we were four friends three
8. 0:56friends and the guys that I met on the
9. 0:57road in in the streets of La Paz my
10. 1:00childhood dream was to explore the
11. 1:03unknown to go deep into the Uncharted
12. 1:06but my dream was really to find the
13. 1:08tribe of indigenous peoples that never
14. 1:10saw civilization before I wanted to
15. 1:14penetrate that village become a member
16. 1:16of the tribe marry the daughter of the
17. 1:19chief and find the treasure of gold or
18. 1:22some treasure of the Inca and then come
19. 1:24back to civilization get famous rich and
20. 1:28suddenly here I was alone Berber to the
21. 1:32bone I lost everything I lost my friends
22. 1:35I lost all my equipment in the skin of
23. 1:39my teeth I managed to pull myself out of
24. 1:41the river after almost drowning there I
25. 1:43was under the mighty cliffs crushed
26. 1:45completely no knife no gun no food no
27. 1:51fire and foreign lands mighty mountains
28. 1:56cliffs rivers gushing huge trees swaying
29. 1:59in the in the wind the Hybris the vanity
30. 2:03I was crushed
31. 2:07this was the dark night of my soul
32. 2:12sometimes I think that place that dark
33. 2:15night of the soul is the best place that
34. 2:19you can reach there's an English term
35. 2:21for it it's called the nadir the lowest
36. 2:24point you can possibly reach it's a good
37. 2:27place to be because if you reached all
38. 2:29the way down first good news is from
39. 2:33Iran you're just going up but secondly I
40. 2:37discovered in that place of total
41. 2:39surrender when you realize you're
42. 2:42totally nothing
43. 2:43when you realize there's nothing you can
44. 2:46do to help yourself when you lost
45. 2:48everything first of all you realize if
46. 2:51you lost it all it wasn't yours to begin
47. 2:53with
48. 2:54what's yours it's what you're gonna be
49. 2:57about to discover now what remains after
50. 2:59everything was lost we cling so much to
51. 3:05what we have
52. 3:08we cling so much to the social
53. 3:11perception to the social mask that we
54. 3:14carry what if everything is Street from
55. 3:16you totally alone the first few days I'm
56. 3:25running on the cliffs hoping maybe one
57. 3:28of my friends have survived but after
58. 3:31four days of searching I realize there's
59. 3:34nobody here then I turned downriver
60. 3:38there is no map this is deep in the
61. 3:41Uncharted the only thing I can do is
62. 3:43follow the river
63. 3:44I go down from the cliffs and I cling to
64. 3:46the river walking it's my fifth day of
65. 3:50total solitude and another thing fifth
66. 3:54day of total starvation I ate nothing
67. 3:58absolutely nothing for five days I only
68. 4:01drank water as I walk from afar suddenly
69. 4:06I see a a fruit and I don't believe it I
70. 4:10pick it up and the fruit is ripe and
71. 4:13it's plump and there's no blemish
72. 4:15there's no warm there's no rot without
73. 4:17hesitating I put the fruit in my mouth
74. 4:20and as I put it in my mouth it seems to
75. 4:22explode five days no food that rush of
76. 4:24sugar to the brain I'm intoxicated and
77. 4:27within that intoxication as a command
78. 4:29suddenly resonating in my head big and
79. 4:32it says get more of that I hear that
80. 4:36command in my head and I look up and as
81. 4:39I look up I see
82. 5:08[Music]
83. 5:29well until that moment I felt the
84. 5:35greatest victim on the planet there was
85. 5:37nobody more miserable and more helpless
86. 5:40than me and then a minute later as I
87. 5:43stand under the tree and I see the
88. 5:45fruits above and I know this that this
89. 5:48snake is deadly what do I do
90. 5:51they say there's two things in life that
91. 5:53motivate you your fear and your love
92. 5:56I'll tell you my motivator my biggest
93. 6:00motivator is first of all fear because
94. 6:03fear can be your best friend
95. 6:05wherever fear rises that's the best
96. 6:09guide I'm saying that and it's not easy
97. 6:12to stand on stage and say something like
98. 6:14that but I tell you
99. 6:15wherever fear rises in my life that's
100. 6:19where I go I don't turn my back to fear
101. 6:22I go towards my fear if you turn your
102. 6:26back to fear it will chase you you will
103. 6:29have no life you'll run and like a
104. 6:30shadow it will chase you but will you
105. 6:34dare to chase your fear will you date
106. 6:36you will you dare to walk towards it
107. 6:40once I killed that snake I was never a
108. 6:43victim in my life ever again I was never
109. 6:47a victim again I realized that the
110. 6:51snakes in your lives the rainforests the
111. 6:55troubled adversity you cannot avoid no
112. 6:59matter where you are no matter no matter
113. 7:00a rich famous smart powerful adversity
114. 7:04will come and find you no matter what
115. 7:06that's not a choice but the choice is to
116. 7:10be a victim or not and I'll tell you
117. 7:12what's the difference this to the
118. 7:15opposite of victim is responsible you're
119. 7:17either a victim are you responsible
120. 7:19define convention for me is being
121. 7:22responsible in an extreme way you think
122. 7:26about the situation no matter what you
123. 7:29can always be responsible because the
124. 7:31word itself gives it responsible means
125. 7:35you're able to respond
126. 7:39no matter sir what circumstances in life
127. 7:41if you are able to respond you're not a
128. 7:44victim once I killed that snake I
129. 7:49realized I never been so at peace in my
130. 7:54life I never belonged so much as much as
131. 7:58I belong sir for the first time in my
132. 8:00life I was finally the hero I aspired to
133. 8:04be from that moment on the rainforest
134. 8:08became my home I wasn't an alien anymore
135. 8:10for the next 10 days I walked in this
136. 8:13forest and it's not simple to walk in
137. 8:15the forest in the midst of the rainy
138. 8:16season without any weapon without any
139. 8:19fire to protect myself without any food
140. 8:23for 10 days I learned how to deal with
141. 8:26the elements and then after 10 days it
142. 8:31was 15 days that I was alone in the
143. 8:33forest for 15 days I made a mistake so
144. 8:37inexperienced huge storm came came and
145. 8:40it was the mother of all storms then
146. 8:42huge trees were falling down and I tried
147. 8:45to make a shelter between the roots of a
148. 8:47tree the tree was moving and swaying and
149. 8:50screeching in a moment like that even if
150. 8:53you the biggest artist believe me you
151. 8:55discover God because the only thing you
152. 8:57can do is scream God please help me and
153. 8:59God help me because the flood came at
154. 9:02dawn and that was a miracle if the flood
155. 9:05would have come at night I would have
156. 9:06been dead but at dawn a huge flood came
157. 9:09and the river just washed the jungle and
158. 9:11caught me in it I fought swimming
159. 9:14between the trees jumping on a tree
160. 9:16pulling my body to the tree with my bare
161. 9:17foot pushing away to the next three and
162. 9:21then I climbed on the hill crawling my
163. 9:23feet were destroyed there was no skin
164. 9:25left on my feet there was pus and blood
165. 9:28and tore flesh my my only possession my
166. 9:32shoes were tied around my neck for the
167. 9:35night then I rested on the on the heels
168. 9:37for two days and after two days I
169. 9:40started crawling when the flood receded
170. 9:43I started crawling to find the river
171. 9:45because without the river I was truly
172. 9:47lost my feet wouldn't carry me so I was
173. 9:50crawling on my knees and elbows
174. 9:52when suddenly I heard a noise I stopped
175. 9:56and listened it was an airplane and I
176. 9:58knew that moment that this airplane is
177. 9:59coming from me that surge of hope that
178. 10:02that shot through my chest I got up on
179. 10:04my feet and running and screaming trying
180. 10:06to find some gap between the trees but
181. 10:08deep under the canopies there were no
182. 10:10gaps and when the airplane came I saw it
183. 10:13for a split second between the branches
184. 10:16I saw it I in the clouds oblivious to my
185. 10:19misery to my agony leaving me behind
186. 10:22hope was the worst thing that could
187. 10:25happen to me what broke me down was hope
188. 10:28I collapsed on my knees I burst into
189. 10:30tears and at that moment something
190. 10:33snapped inside my chest at that moment I
191. 10:35fell with my face into the mud and I
192. 10:37started praying from the deepest place
193. 10:39in my heart I played I prayed please
194. 10:42just let me die I gave up on my life at
195. 10:48that moment where I couldn't help myself
196. 10:52something unbelievable happened my name
197. 11:12my name is Yossi I'm lost you speak
198. 11:21English
199. 11:26I know you can't understand me but it's
200. 11:33good to see you in my darkest moment in
201. 11:43the moment where I gave up something
202. 11:46happened and I found love in the middle
203. 11:51of the forest lost I found a woman and I
204. 11:55knew she was my woman
205. 11:56I don't know how she appeared there as I
206. 12:10said there's two things that will
207. 12:11motivate one in life either fear or love
208. 12:14and I tell you that I think that love is
209. 12:17a greater fear than fear itself it is
210. 12:23and the greatest fear is to believe that
211. 12:27it's us that we are lovable that's the
212. 12:31greatest fear but when we love another
213. 12:34when we truly love another then true
214. 12:37power is revealed in a moment where I
215. 12:39couldn't help myself any more where I
216. 12:42was helpless when I wanted to die what
217. 12:45saved my life was somebody I loved
218. 12:47somebody that didn't come to help me but
219. 12:50somebody is that needed my care somebody
220. 12:53that needed my love somebody that needed
221. 12:56my help
222. 12:57that's the most powerful thing in the
223. 13:00world is the power of love do you dare
224. 13:03to follow your love for two days I took
225. 13:10care of her
226. 13:10and after two days when I made her a
227. 13:13place next to me to sleep when I covered
228. 13:15her with palm fronds and when I called
229. 13:18her to hug me I realized there was
230. 13:21nobody there there was nobody there I
231. 13:25was so scared I didn't know if I lost my
232. 13:28mind but I swear I didn't make it up
233. 13:31it wasn't my imagination I wasn't right
234. 13:34it wasn't contrived she just appeared
235. 13:37and after two days this
236. 13:39appeared but I know she saved my life
237. 13:43alone again the next day my 19th day
238. 13:47after the flood the floor of the jungle
239. 13:50was completely washed so there was no
240. 13:51food that was cabin Jing before some
241. 13:54berries a fruit that fell from a tree or
242. 13:56a nest with raw eggs but after the
243. 13:59floods there was nothing by the 19th day
244. 14:02I was just skin hanging on nothing just
245. 14:05skin and bones no muscle no flesh just
246. 14:09skin and bone and then I fell into a
247. 14:14swamp and for six hours I was swimming
248. 14:18in the heavy mud I was sure I'm gonna
249. 14:22die I wanted to to kill myself if I
250. 14:26could but the only things that prevented
251. 14:28me from killing myself it was the 19th
252. 14:30day said I should have killed myself on
253. 14:32the first day after 19 days of that much
254. 14:34suffering no way so I fought and I
255. 14:41fought and I fought and I swamp inch by
256. 14:43inch
257. 14:44until I managed to get out of the swamp
258. 14:46once out of the swamp I realized I
259. 14:49cannot get on my feet I was exhausted my
260. 14:52feet would not carry me anymore under
261. 14:54the canopy I collapsed and I knew this
262. 14:56will become me because under the canopy
263. 14:59no airplane passing in the sky can see
264. 15:01me if there is a chance to save my life
265. 15:04at least I can I should collapse on an
266. 15:06open space by the river not under the
267. 15:09canopy but I couldn't get on my feet
268. 15:11from the corner of my eye suddenly I saw
269. 15:14a movement I looked to the side and I
270. 15:16saw what was moving an entire tree
271. 15:18seemed to be moving it was moving
272. 15:21because it was covered with fire hands
273. 15:24the fire ants lives symbiotically with
274. 15:27this tree I recognized the tree I saw
275. 15:31the fire ants and I knew very well what
276. 15:34the fire ant can do to you
277. 15:36it's like extinguishing a cigarette on
278. 15:37your skin like a blazing rod that's how
279. 15:41poisonous they are I crawled to the tree
280. 15:43and when I reached the tree I raised
281. 15:45myself against the tree and I shook the
282. 15:47tree and I shook the tree until I
283. 15:49covered myself from head to toe I
284. 15:52showered myself
285. 15:53pletely was fire ants and my entire body
286. 15:56was like a human torch I was on flames I
287. 16:00was in so much pain so much pain I was
288. 16:02screaming and on these waves of pain I
289. 16:05was floating I couldn't feel my feet
290. 16:08anymore there was so much pain that my
291. 16:11feet
292. 16:12there was no sensation at all I was
293. 16:14running on waves of pain pain saved my
294. 16:20life
295. 16:22isn't it defined convention where all
296. 16:25our life what we try to do is to avoid
297. 16:26pain our foot time it is to avoid pain
298. 16:30pain will come anyway when it comes
299. 16:34better embrace it because if you avoid
300. 16:35it it becomes just greater pain saved my
301. 16:42life
302. 16:43I got to the shore of the river and I
303. 16:50was lying there and I realized I'm not
304. 16:52gonna move anymore I realized I have to
305. 16:55push myself up from the shore into the
306. 16:58forest because right there and not a
307. 16:59flood can come and take me but before I
308. 17:02leave the shore I made an effort to make
309. 17:05a mark so I created my initial rolling
310. 17:09logs I created my initial why so if an
311. 17:12airplane passes above they will see it
312. 17:14as I was moving one log underneath it I
313. 17:16discovered a big turtle for five entire
314. 17:20days I haven't eaten anything I was
315. 17:23starved and this was a big turtle as I
316. 17:26saw the turtle it flashed inside my head
317. 17:28a rock - the turtle or the turtle - the
318. 17:30rock I'm gonna break it I'm gonna rip
319. 17:33its flesh I'm gonna eat it alive and at
320. 17:35that very second the turtle just pushed
321. 17:39its head out of his shield and in
322. 17:43unexplainable second our eyes connected
323. 17:48and a dead connection
324. 17:49I felt something that I will never be
325. 17:51able to explain what I felt is that this
326. 17:55turtle is my brother
327. 17:57that's what
328. 18:02so I apologize to it
329. 18:05I said don't worry I'm not gonna hurt
330. 18:08you and I left the turtle untouched and
331. 18:13I didn't kill it until this very day I
332. 18:17cannot explain why the night came it was
333. 18:25dusk and suddenly I heard the noise
334. 18:28I was sure it's a wasp or a bee so I was
335. 18:31trying to get rid of the twice for bee
336. 18:33but the noise got stronger and stronger
337. 18:35and stronger and then it was so loud
338. 18:38that I opened my eyes and I raised my
339. 18:41head and this is what I saw
340. 18:48[Music]
341. 19:00wait
342. 19:02wait
343. 19:03[Music]
344. 19:11[Music]
345. 19:47it wasn't the worst
346. 19:54it wasn't a B it was a boat that lent
347. 19:57that they turned about Kevin my friends
348. 20:00that the only survivor
349. 20:01the two other have died were never seen
350. 20:05again but Kevin that was saved by
351. 20:07indigenous people Kevin came back they
352. 20:09stopped there to turn the boat the
353. 20:11search was over on that very place where
354. 20:14they turned the boat hundred and twenty
355. 20:16kilometers of river on that very place
356. 20:19where they turned the boat that's the
357. 20:20place where I collapsed my life were
358. 20:23saved but this is not the end of the
359. 20:25story I went back to the Amazon and I
360. 20:29found the tribe the people that saved
361. 20:31Kevin I went to the village I stayed
362. 20:36with them I lived there for three entire
363. 20:38years I was initiated as a new chipiya
364. 20:41Mona I married the daughter well I
365. 20:44brought her from Jerusalem that's the
366. 20:46truth but I married the daughter I
367. 20:49married her in a shamanic ceremony I
368. 20:52found my home I found my tribe and I
369. 20:55found my treasure the secrets of the
370. 20:58forest the pass of love away from fear
371. 21:02follow your heart
372. 21:04thank you so much
373. 21:09[Music]