On this date (Jan 24) in 1972, Shoichi Yokoi was discovered in the jungles of Guam. He was a Japanese soldier who had been hiding in a cave since 1944, believing that World War II was still going strong.
Yokoi survived primarily by hunting and trapping, mostly at night. He made clothes, bedding, tools, etc. out of native plants, keeping them hidden in his cave.
Among the most intriguing parts of the story is the fact that he stayed in hiding for more than 20 years AFTER finding leaflets announcing that the war had ended. Loyalty or stubbornness? Courage or fear? Obsession or integrity?
The story leads me to a bit of introspection. How often do we intentionally bury our heads in the sand when faced with evidence that we don’t like? How often do we hide from facts that are uncomfortable, or that fly in the face of our beliefs? Are we so afraid to face change that we will ferociously cling to an illusory status quo, no matter how painful that status quo might be?
It also leads to some other fascinating questions?
1. If a soldier doesn’t know the war is over, is it actually over?
2. If this were to happen today, how long until he would be a reality TV star?
3. If a man is alone in the jungle, talking only to himself without a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?