In the wake of Abby Sunderland's rescue in the South Pacific, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Austrailia and at least one fishing vessel, some have compalined that the rescue cost too much money. Others have written that letting a 16-year old sail around the world by herself was foolish and should have been prevented. And still others suggest that the parents and/or sponsors should be punished and forced to pay for the rescue.
Abby's quest is an inspiration and a salute to our efforts to overcome the difficulty of the human condition. Her attempt to sail around the world (even with the rescue) rouses in our spirit a desire to conquer what seems otherwise impossible. While thousands of teenagers are destroying their lives with drugs, violence, sex, and more mediocre journeys of self-indulgence, Abby Sunderland rises above the roar of the headlines with a truly remarkable accomplishment... even in her rescue.
Indeed, even her courage and calm in the face of death on the high seas raises the world's collection spirit of hope that humankind can achieve great dreams, visions, and solve great problems. The physical cost and time required to "rescue" Abby is really a just and welcome expenditure for all of humankind that cries out: "Help us strive to be courageous in the face of difficult challenges and work together to rescue ourselves from the storms of nature and human sin, and become better people, more courageous, more daring, better planners, and whine less." The cost to rescue Abby is nothing in comparison to what lies ahead of us as human beings. The cost to all humanity not to have rescued her is huge. For in not rescuing her (or others like her) we throw cold water on the aspirations and dreams of all mankind. She strived and hoped to become a role model -- so that the rest of us might strive and dream, and battle successfully the storms of our out life.
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