44 years ago, John? Goddard listed the great things he wanted to do in his life. At that time, he 15 years old, a child who had never seen the world in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He named the watch "Volunteer of Life".
The list reads: "Explore the Nile, Amazon and Congo rivers; Climb Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Maythorne; Riding elephants, camels, ostriches and wild horses; Visiting Kyle? The path taken by Poirot and Alexander I; Starring in a movie like Mount Tai; Piloting aircraft to take off and land; Read Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle; Create a piece of music; Write a book; Visit every country in the world; Get married and have children; Visit the moon. " Each item has a number, and there are 127 targets.
Now, Goddard, 59, still looks young and beautiful. He is not only a veteran who has experienced numerous explorations and expeditions, but also a film producer, author and speaker. He still lives with his wife in an old bungalow in Southern California. In the room, he sat leisurely among those shriveled skulls, silver daggers, shiny knitwear and exotic handicrafts, which often reminded him of his past adventure career. When referring to the "volunteer list" many years ago, Goddard smiled and talked about himself when he was young.
"I wrote that form," he explained, "because at the age of 15, I clearly realized my lack of experience. At that time, I was very immature, but I had the same potential as others, and I really wanted to make a career. I am interested in everything-travel, medicine, music, literature ... I want to do it and encourage others. I made that blueprint, and with a goal in mind, I would feel that I always had something to do. I also know that people around me often stick to the rules. They never take risks and never dare to challenge themselves in any way. I am determined not to take this old road. "
When Goddard solemnly wrote down his dream on paper, he began to seize all the time to realize it. When he 16 years old, he and his father went to Oak Fenocchi Everglades in Georgia and Iver Glades in Florida. "This was the first time I had completed one of the items on the list," he recalled. "I also learned to snorkel in deep water with only one mask, drive tractors and buy horses." By the age of 20, he had been diving in the Caribbean, Aegean Sea and Red Sea. He also became an air force pilot and made 33 combat flights over Europe.
By the time he was 2 1 year old, he had been to 2 1 countries. At the age of 22, he found an ancient temple of Mayan culture deep in the jungle of Guatemala. In the same year, he became the youngest member of the Los Angeles Explorers Club. Then, he set out to realize the number one goal of his great ambition-exploring the Nile.
Goddard said: "I put the Nile in the first place because I think it is the most important landform on earth." The Nile is a microcosm of Africa: there are almost all kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles and insects in Africa in the Nile valley; It also has the shortest and highest race among all mankind (Pygmies and Vatutsi); You can not only meet well-educated and experienced people in cities like Khartoum and Cairo, but also meet semi-nomadic people in places like Dinka in Sudan. Therefore, it has become my biggest challenge to swim up and down the Nile and study the customs on both sides. "
When Goddard was 26 years old, he and two other exploration partners came to the source of the Nile in the Burundi Mountains. Three people began to cross 4000 miles in a kayak weighing only 60 pounds. They were attacked by hippos, suffered from dazzling sandstorms and miles of rapids, suffered from malaria several times and were chased by gunmen on the river. After 10 months, three "nilot" successfully crossed the Nile estuary and entered the blue Mediterranean.
Goddard said that if you think too much about the long road and the difficulties ahead, you may be afraid to start this trip. But after accumulating day by day, we finally achieved our goal. I think this is the road to success in life.
Immediately after the Nile exploration, Goddard began to accelerate the completion of one goal after another: 1954, he drifted across the Colorado River by raft; 1956 explored all the Congo river with a total length of 2700 miles; He lived in the wasteland of South America, Borneo and New Guinea, with people who ate people and cut off enemy heads as trophies. He climbed Mount Ararat and Mount Kilimanjaro; Fly a jet fighter with twice the supersonic speed; Wrote a book "kayaking down the Nile"); He is married and has five children. After starting to be a full-time anthropologist, he came up with the idea of making movies and being a speaker. In the next few years, he raised money for his next exploration through speeches and filming.
Up to now, Goddard has completed 106 of the 27 targets. He won honors that only explorers can enjoy, including becoming a member of the Royal Geographical Society and the new york Explorers Club. I was also cordially received by many people along the way.
The exploration of the Congo River was a severe lesson for him. Goddard and his good friend Jack? Jowell went down the river together and had a good trip. Unexpectedly, Jowell was suddenly buried in a terrible whirlpool, and his death plunged Goddard into the abyss of despair and loneliness. "We lived together for six weeks and were as close as brothers," he said. "We overcame all the difficulties along the way, but suddenly, he left, leaving me alone." Goddard paused for a moment and recalled painfully, "For a moment, I really didn't know what to do, but I remembered that Jack and I swore that no matter what happened to one of us, the other would carry the voyage to the end, so I kept going."
Goddard had 18 close encounters in his journey to achieve his goal. "These experiences have taught me to cherish life a hundred times, and I want to try everything I can." He said: "People often live all their lives, but never show great courage, strength and endurance. But I found that when you think you are going to die anyway, you suddenly have amazing power and control, and in the past, you never dreamed that your body had such great power. When you go through this, you will feel that your soul has sublimated to another realm. "
He pointed out that almost everyone has their own goals and dreams, but not everyone works hard to achieve them. "The wish of life was written when I was very young. It reflects a young man's interest. Of course, there are some things I don't want to do anymore, such as climbing Mount Everest or becoming a movie star like Mount Tai. Setting goals is often like this. Some things may be beyond our ability and cannot be completed, but this does not mean that we must give up all pursuits. "
"It's good to look at your life and ask yourself this question:' If I can only live for another year, what will I do?' We all have wishes to realize, so don't delay, start now! "
Goddard's future plans are still substantial, including visiting the Great Wall (No.49) and climbing Mount McKinley (No.23), and he will never give up any goal easily. "In this way, when the opportunity comes, I am always' always ready'." Indeed, deep down, he firmly believes that one day he can achieve his goal125-visiting the moon.
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