But the book, and some of my sailing friends have given me a few basic principles that can be applied to life. I understand that if you're caught at sea in a bad storm, one of the safest things to do is go below, batten down the hatches, and ride it out. This is only a short term solution. If you're caught in a really bad storm, eventually, the boat will start to take on water and begin to break apart. The absolute worst thing to do is allow the boat to get caught in a following sea, with its stern to the wind.
Disaster is sure to follow.
If you want to survive, at some point, you have to get back on deck, take the helm, and start to head into the breaking sea. You must keep forward momentum, and take on the waves. With luck, you will sail out of the storm, perhaps battered, but alive. In recent weeks, as I have talked to many friends and colleagues in photojournalism, the picture that comes to mind is of a bunch of terrified people, huddled below deck, while the mighty winds of change in photojournalism sweep over them. The profession they love seems to be breaking apart.