Finding a Purpose

Have you ever felt that you’re wandering around in life without a purpose? This is a struggle that Louis Zamperini faced as detailed in the book Unbroken. Louie had a childhood full of mischief and struggled to find a purpose in life. However, his older brother introduced him to running which turned Louis Zamperini’s life around.

Louis Silvie Zamperini was born on January 26, 1917, in Olean, New York to Italian immigrants. From the moment he could walk nothing could hold Louie down. If his mother didn’t have him squirming in her arms, she usually had no idea where he was. When he was only two years old, he climbed out his bedroom window and went on a “naked tear” down the street. Moving to sunny California did not change Louie’s behavior. There always seemed to be either police or some neighbor on their front porch with a report of Louie’s latest escapade. However, in 1931 Louis discovered running which would take him down a more promising path.                                          

When the principal found out about Louie’s latest prank involving giving out free basketball tickets, “he punished him by making him ineligible for athletic and social activities.”(Unbroken, pg. 13) Louie didn’t care as he never joined anything anyway. But, when his older brother Pete found out, he went to the principal and told him if he let Louie join a team he could put his mischievous energy to good use. The principal agreed.                                          

Pete had grand plans for Louie which would lead him to graduate with varsity letters for many sports, ”Pete would force Louie to train every day riding his bike behind him whacking him with a stick.” (Unbroken, pg. 14) Louie hated running but loved the applause. At the end of his first season, he became the first student from Torrance to make the All-City Finals where he finished fifth. He would only get better from there. 

Louie would soon get the chance to run in the Olympic qualifying race. With very little training he tied for first place. Running had given Louie Zamperini a purpose and goal in life. This purpose would lead him to run in the 1936 Olympics and straight into Nazi Germany.

A Journey into the Pacific Theater

By Emily White

​I can’t remember when I haven’t been interested in World War 2, especially the war on the European front. The primary reasons I’m drawn to WW2 are how close its occurrence is to today, the light it shines on mankind, and what we as humans are capable of doing.

World War 2 ended September 2, 1945, which is 76 years ago. This brings the stories out of the history books and into the real world. The tragedies of the war feel more alive when you can talk face to face with people who lived these stories. They also serve as reminders that these were not medieval people burning witches but people who are grandparents to us.

World War 2 shines a light on the depravity of man. How we are still trying to put people into categories of who is equal and who is less than. So often when something bad happens, man feels the need to blame one person or people group, when in fact the choices we all make have a ripple effect on what happens in our world. 

Most importantly, World War 2 shows that no person is entirely good or evil. The people that murdered millions of women and children went home to their wives, sons, and daughters. The same people that fought to save the European Jews locked up tens of thousands of Japanese Americans. We like to see people as good or evil, but the truth is that every human is capable of both.

In these next weeks, I will be reading through the book Unbroken, a story that takes place on the Pacific Front of the war; a front I know much less about. Unbroken takes us through the story of Louis Zamperini and his journey to find purpose in life. In this book, we will see many examples of great evil but also how even in places of great darkness light still finds a way in.