Every now and again, I’ll come across a news story that seems to defy reality. Indeed, as details surrounding the grounding of an Italian cruise ship off the shores of Giglio Island are revealed, one might feel that this story would be better placed as a feature in The National Enquirer alongside articles about alien abductions and sightings of Bigfoot.
The shipwreck tragedy is being chronicled throughout various forms of media and, despite the variances in some of the information being reported, there seems to be consistency with respect to captain Francesco Schettino’s poor judgment and puzzling actions prior to the calamity, during the crisis and after the rescue efforts had been initiated by the coast guard.
In brief, here’s a summary of what happened according to a report posted online by CBC: the captain of the vessel brought the ship “too close to shore to ‘make a bow’ to people on the island, who included a retired Italian admiral.” Soon after the ship started to take on water, he boarded a lifeboat to “co-ordinate the rescue efforts from ashore.” Finally, during communication with the coast guard, the captain “made excuses and resisted the coast guard officer’s repeated orders for him to “re-board his stricken liner and aid passengers.” According to a more recent report, Schettino’s claim is that he “tripped” into the lifeboat which brought him and a fortunate handful of others to safety on shore.
If this event wasn’t so horrific, you might believe it could be the premise for a disaster movie spoof: a captain grounds a cruise ship because he was showing off in front of his peers, commits the cardinal sin of abandoning ship and then refuses to return to the scene to save his passengers. On one level, this is thoroughly absurd. Yet in actuality, this grave tragedy accentuates the seemingly indefensible behaviour of a fallen leader.
As strange as this may sound, I propose that, in many ways, Schettino was behaving like an adolescent boy. Clearly, the stakes may be considered much higher for a captain of a ship that’s the size of three football fields and holds 4,200 passengers than those for a boy trying to navigate his route through the social and academic challenges presented by his high school experience. But, in theory, Schettino was acting in a manner similar to that of many teenage males.
Unfortunately, over the years, I’ve seen much “Schettino-like” behaviour in the many disciplinary investigations with which I’ve been involved. Most everyone knows that boys make poor decisions when trying to impress onlookers and that when under the influence of their peers, they’ll commit inexplicable acts which often completely contradict their proven character. Furthermore, when confronted with the consequences of their actions, I’ve seen too many boys neglect to take responsibility and instead make excuses for their poor behaviour.
I’d encourage you to have a conversation with your son about how to behave under pressure. In order for him to mature and develop his character, he needs to be able to clearly recognize those factors that will impact his decision-making process so that he can make the right choices during times of stress. He’ll also hopefully understand that, although difficult to do, taking responsibility for mistakes, rather than making excuses, is the true measure of an honourable man.
Thanks for reading,
Scott
