So You Think You Have a Problem..
by Djulia Montana ‘tahna’ de Veyra
On September 6, 2006, a fourteen year old girl was abducted and brought to a dirty bunker where she was repeatedly raped. Today, the victim’s experience has become a celebrated case of bravery and courage amidst horrendous ordeal.
Elizabeth Shoaf, now 16, surprises the press by talking about the ordeal with an air of composure unimaginable in a sex crime victim, let alone a young girl. Even at the time of the crime, Shoaf has already managed to surprise the police with her courage.
“Not only was she very brave, she was also very smart and did several things that greatly improved her chances of survival,” proclaims Captain David Thomley, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department.
Even under captivity, Shoaf displayed commendable bravery and presence of mind. While the abductor, Vinson Filyaw, was leading her into the woods, Shoaf dropped her shoes hoping that it would somehow provide a clue to anyone who might be searching for her. She also managed to keep her calm, even as she had explosives hanging around her neck while receiving constant death threats. Shoaf schemed at gaining the abductor’s trust, talking to him and making him think of her more as a person than just a captive. She even managed to leave strands of her own hair on branches in the hope that search dogs would detect her scent.
But nobody spotted her shoes. And the search dogs did not pick up the scent of her hair. Still,
How many of us would have managed to show the same strength and courage? Shoaf’s story is truly an inspiration. Nobody should allow any form of crisis to weigh his/her spirits down. For it is through strength of spirit that we are better able to view our problem with clarity. And it is through presence of mind that we are better able to find solutions to our problems.
Moreover, we must always keep in mind that problems always come. I mean, who doesn’t have them? There is simply no point in dwelling in crises.
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