False Sense of Security

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The Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York on April 10, 1912; there were 1,400 passengers, 940 officers and crew. The Titanic was the largest passenger steamship when she was built. It had libraries, squash courts, a heated swimming pool, a Turkish bath, a gym, elevators, barber shops, and four restaurants that offered excellent cuisine. It also had 840 private rooms for the first, second and third class sections of the boat, and could carry 3,547 passengers and crew. This ship had the latest maritime technology and was said to be “unsinkable” but this type of reasoning would prove to be false.

Captain Smith was aware there were icebergs in the area and it could alter the course of the journey, however, despite knowing this, he ignored the warning and increased the speed of the ship. The story of the Titanic is what happens when a person avoids imminent danger.

On April 14, at around 10:30 p.m. the Titanic hit an iceberg; the impact was so hard that the ship started to fill with water. By midnight the order was given to start evacuating; the Titanic would sink. Women and children were first to get into lifeboats and an international distress call was sent out; since the ship had been said to be “unsinkable” they didn’t believe it was possible so they took their time and a lot of lifeboats that could’ve held more people were half-filled.

When the passengers realized they were going down they threw themselves in the freezing waters of the Atlantic trying to save their lives instead of going down with the ship, though that last attempt was of no use; many who had already left watched the horror of what was unfolding from their lifeboat; at 2:30 a.m. on April 15 the Titanic went down.

This story has always captivated me. I’ve seen the movie and read books after books about that fateful night when people’s lives were changed forever, not only for those that lived to see, survive and tell their story but many more that would read the history of the events and how they transpired.

The funny thing is that during the movie I’m anxious because I know what’s going to happen and the captain seems oblivious. I’m trying to tell him that he really should slow down because iceberg warnings are serious but it doesn’t seem to faze him; the captain was trying to make an impression by speeding up the ship, he thought one or two ice berg warnings was nothing to be concerned with. 

I’m trying to save them and scream to get to the lifeboats because it really is going to sink, it’s not “unsinkable” like they think but the music is better; they’re more concerned about partying and having a good time than putting on a life jacket.

I’m trying and trying and trying and when I see the finale where very little people were saved despite all the warnings, I know that’s the danger of having a false sense of security. Sometimes no matter how hard you try and tell someone something, it’s just not going to work if they don’t listen, sadly the end result can be devastating. More than 1,500 passengers and crew died because of hypothermia as others sat and watched.