The story of Ernest Shackleton provides evidence that flawed humanity has the potential for unselfish good under tremendous adversity. It supplies proof of the existence of God. And it demonstrates that there is never an excuse for gross mistreatment of fellow human beings.

I do not see Shackleton as a great man. Rather, he is an ordinary man who demonstrated great qualities under adversity. Like all of us, he was imperfect, and made mistakes. His circumstance robbed him of all that he valued most, leaving him with only his life, and those of his men. Yet, in that condition, he stuck to the higher calling of his God-given conscience. While not claiming to be a particularly devout man, he demonstrated by altruistic conduct that he knew God. How so?

Shackleton was willing to make extraordinary sacrifices in an effort to help others. Such willingness to help others even if at great personal cost is seen in all races and cultures, and it argues against the claim that man evolved by the law of the jungle, “the survival of the fittest.” Francis S. Collins, a geneticist who led the U.S. government’s effort to decipher the human genome (DNA), said: “Selfless altruism presents a major challenge for the evolutionist. . . . It cannot be accounted for by the drive of individual selfish genes to perpetuate themselves.” He also said: “Some people sacrificially give of themselves to those who are outside their group and with whom they have absolutely nothing in common. . . . That doesn’t seem like it can be explained by a Darwinian model.”

Our inner sense of right and wrong, a sense of fairness that motivates altruism is guided by conscience. As geneticist Francis S. Collins concedes, man’s possession of a conscience cannot be explained by evolution. However, it is explained by God’s Word. The Bible writer Paul wrote: “People of the nations that do not have law do by nature the things of the law. - Romans 2:14 The law they give evidence of having by “nature” is a God-given conscience.

Shackleton’s story furnishes proof that men posses a God-given, God-oriented conscience. And, in spite of our inherently imperfect, frail nature, we can choose to follow the dictates of a healthy conscience under the worst of circumstances.

When Hitler’s officers were put on trial in Nuremeburg after World War II for crimes against humanity, their primary defense was that they were simply following orders. However, International Military Tribunal law states that “Patriotic obedience in crime does not establish innocence.” This law recognizes that all men are obligated to follow the proddings of conscience when ordered to commit acts that they know to be crimes against humanity. As further stated during the Nuremberg trials; “The conscience of humanity is the foundation of all law.” Many of Hitler’s officers were judged guilty, and sentenced to death for ignoring the voice of conscience. Yet, one can find extraordinary examples of conscience among Hitler’s contemporaries in Nazi Germany. Oskar Schindler placed his life in great danger by sheltering more than a thousand Jews from Nazi extermination during World War II, and ultimately died penniless. Schindler made the choice not to follow “orders” due to conscience.

Shackleton faced adversity with conscience. Therefore, I, as a Christian, must face adversity with conscience. I must pay heed to scripture, an unambiguous written authority that reinforces and informs conscience. Although a daily victim of directed energy weapons and psychological attacks, my response must always reflect good conscience. I cannot retaliate, nor can I yield to corruptive influences. I cannot respond in a way that violates Christian principle or conscience. As Shackleton proved, following conscience is the choice all imperfect men can make. Imagine how human society would benefit if all men did!

While countless lives were being sacrificed in Europe during World War I, an amazing effort was underway to save lives in Antarctica. Famed Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew suffered catastrophe when their ship, Endurance, was crushed and sunk by pack ice. Shackleton managed to get his men to a safe haven—of sorts—on Elephant Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. But they still faced extreme danger. Elephant Island was bitterly cold, barren, and composed primarily of rock and ice. It presented a major challenge to the survival of Shackleton and his men.

Shackleton realized that their only hope of survival lay in sending for help from a whaling station on the island of South Georgia. That was 700 miles away, and he had only a 22-foot lifeboat salvaged from the shipwrecked Endurance. Their prospects were not good.

Leaving his men with the promise that he would return and rescue them, Shackleton and a small party set off in choppy waters for South Georgia. On May 10, 1916, however, after 17 harrowing days, they reached their destination, but terrible sea conditions forced them to land on the wrong side of the island. They were faced with a 20-mile trek over uncharted, snow-covered mountains to reach their final destination. Against all odds—in subzero temperatures and without proper climbing equipment—Shackleton and his companions reached their destination, and he eventually returned to rescue all his stranded men. Why did Shackleton put forth such strenuous effort? “His one ambition,” writes biographer Roland Huntford, was “to get every one of his men out alive.”

Why is it that in the midst of World War I when millions of lives where being discarded on the battlefield, one man demonstrated such extraordinary concern for the lives of others? Why did he consider the lives of his crew to be worth such effort? His entire crew of 21 men, many of whom were ill, frostbitten and near starvation survived the four and a half months until Shackleton was able to find a way to return and rescue them. What saved them from complete despair in that bleak setting? Their confidence that their leader would keep his promise to rescue them.

At a time when many abuse and destroy the lives of others for selfish motives, it is rare to find men who adhere to high principles in their treatment of fellowmen. Shackleton greatly valued the life of each member of his crew. And he never abandoned the noble principles that drove him to expend any effort necessary to rescue them. In this true account, we can extract the secret of successfully surviving, and indeed, triumphing over psychological attacks that include directed energy weapons torture and gang stalking . . .

We will look at the qualities that enabled Ernest Shackleton to triumph over adversity in our next installment, and see how those qualities can help victims of directed energy weapons torture and gang-stalking to triumph over adversity . . .