Wanda's Words of Wisdom - Survivor: Exile Island, Episode 13
Posted on Fri 12 May 2006 (1475 reads)
by Wanda Shirk True Survivors -- are the ones whose hearts can sing, For what is at stake    is the friends you make;        Money's not the only thing. Those words were the alternate chorus to the "Oh Susannah" parody I wrote as the "Ballad of Palau" for the conclusion of Survivor 10. Terry's words, "I didn't come here to make friends with 24 year-olds" were a real disappointment to me. Sure, the game is about winning a million dollars, but it should happen because of and in conjunction with the friends you've made, not in spite of the enemies you've made and the people you've offended. Making friends of people who were from very different backgrounds than mine was one of my main objectives in going to Survivor. A 24 year old named Angie became a wonderful friend, and I made many other young friends as well. The Casayans found Terry arrogant and offensive. Terry's overblown attack on Cirie about where her torch was laid in the dark was an example of his impatience and unwillingness to put up with small inconveniences in others even when only a few days remained. He did spoil the euphoria the Final Four should have felt when they came back from the night's Tribal Council. It could have been a great night of friendship and bonding, and he ruined it over something small. Thus, I was really delighted to see Aras at last beat Terry in back-to-back challenges. Danielle, Cirie, and Terry had all participated in previous rewards; Aras was the only one of the four not to have had a reward, so I was glad to see him enjoy the canal cruise. Needless to say, no one could have enjoyed it more with him than Cirie did. Her pleasure, her exultation in experiencing a yacht cruise that she never would have imagined to be possible in her life, went beyond the happiness any of the others would have felt on the mini-vacation. Cirie knows how to enjoy deeply, to appreciate maximally, to revel in the contrast from what she has always known or expected to be possible in her life. We are all so glad for her and what this trip has meant to her life. For a young man, Aras has shown great character throughout this season. While Terry has shown disdain and a disinterest in the lives of younger people, Aras has talked about trying to practice love and compassion even when it's been made incredibly difficult by an older and stronger competitor who made no secret of not caring about him. When Aras was wrong, he apologized "100%," stating clearly that he treated Terry unfairly and was very sorry about it. Terry offered no similar apology to Aras or to Cirie. Aras took "personal responsibility" for not acting as the good human being he wanted to be. Terry had no reciprocating words for any of his behavior that instigated Aras's hard feelings. Terry's only strength was in initiating confrontation. Aras's words showed that he thought much about the kind of good man he wanted to be. Aras has also been a persevering competitor. Stephenie in Palau won the nation's respect for never giving up. Aras hasn't articulated that – he's demonstrated it. "It's always too soon to quit," my college president Dr. V. Raymond Edmond always exhorted. Aras lived that. He gave 100% in challenges, and he came through for himself when it mattered, earning a great reward and saving himself from a Tribal Council vote that almost certainly would have fallen on him. In my mind, he deserves to go all the way now. Here is a young man who has proven himself worthy. He's beaten an Anapolis grad with years of experience and education. There is a time for the torch to pass. As for Danielle – she reminds me of Eliza in Vanuatu. Both had their heads on the chopping block week after week and were repeatedly spared when someone else always popped in to be more threatening or more annoying at a particular time. Lady Luck has favored her. We will soon see if Lady Luck's favor lights her fire fast enough. The final two will be very interesting. The preview said this will be the closest finale in Survivor history, and surely the jury will have a tough time deliberating. Read Wanda's buddy Jolanda Jones' thoughts on past Survivor episodes here Jolanda! Visit Wanda on the World Wide Web at WackyWanda.com.

Index :: Print :: E-mail

This site is best viewed in the most recent version of Firefox or Internet Explorer, with a screen resolution of 1024x768 or higher. Theme design by BCOOL.