"[Morality, ethics, reciprocity and the 'Golden Rule' of treating others as you would like to be treated in the same situation:] Helping someone else is the best way to ensure your own survival. It takes you out of yourself. It helps you to rise above your fears. Now you're a rescuer, not a victim. And seeing how your leadership and skill buoy others up gives you more focus and energy to persevere. The cycle reinforces itself: You buoy them up, and their response buoys you up. Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone else (a wife, boyfriend, mother, son) back home."

Author: Laurence Gonzales

Notes: 'Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why'