The history of the construction of the Burmese railway tells us that true Survivors know that opportunities never disappear, but just go elsewhere, with someone else. This is a truth that thorough history some took advantage off, and these people became the successful millionaires that we know about, or great military leaders, politicians, explorers, adventurers and discoverers of our world. This is something that we have to ponder seriously every time we come across an opportunity, for whatever use or need we have in mind.
Many times we surrender before fighting, while all facts demonstrate that those who win are those who fight even while others may think that they have been vanquished. When the Japanese military commanders during WWII decided to build a railroad through the jungles and rainforests of Thailand and Burma- now Myanmar - to supply their frontline troops near the border with India, they decided to ruthlessly use tens of thousands of Asian, North American and European prisoners of war; it was a terrible affair to work under such extremely dangerous and unhealthy conditions, but they went ahead, anyway.

Working conditions were extremely harsh, the treatment given by the Japanese guard was awful and food was so bad that the whole construction site became a virtual extermination campo with no need for firing squads or chimneys. Escape was almost impossible, for there were hundreds if not thousands of kilometres of very hostile enemy territory to cross, and no military liberation of prisoners was possible; in fact, most surviving POWs remained as such from the beginning to the end of world war two. Death and survival became the absolute goals of those there, and when people is confronted with such options, they either give up completely or fight as much as they can.

The whole thing ended being a shameful crime against humanity that took the lives of an undetermined number of people, but certainly exceeding 100,000 souls. The few who survived said afterwards that they had not been simply lucky: they insisted - and we may well believe them - that their survival was attained thorough obstinacy and hatred against the Japanese; none of them felt that they were prisoners and thus the war had ended for them.

The war in Burma was indeed important for the allies, but it wasnít the most important front; commanders knew that the Japanese were overextended and in fact, having lines so stretched, even reaching the border with India, was good to some extent because it diverted resources from the Pacific theatre, where troops landing on small islands were having a really hard time fighting the Japanese defenders. So, no help was coming and the efforts of General Stillwell, the Chindits of Wingate and the Flying Tigers of Claire Chennault could only help a little, from time to time, by raiding and bombing Japanese positions, but little else. There were other attempts like those performed by the OSS - the U.S. Secret Service at the time, from which the CIA and the Army Special Forces (the original Green Berets) evolved - in Mytkina in order to develop guerrilla warfare by training the Kachin tribes that resented the Japanese presence. These were successful attempts but limited in scope, for guerrilla warfare could only mean the liberation of a few prisoners from time to time as a collateral result of raids and ambushes, but never the occupation of enemy territory for long or in vast areas. Prisoners in Burma used every little opportunity to make themselves feel a little better. Every nail lost by the Japanese while wooden bridges were being constructed over rivers and ravines, every mosquito biting a guard, and every time they could say in a low voice anything about their captors were event seen by those who finally made it and survived as small victories.

So, never think that some things are impossible, for they will become impossible for you; survival often depends on taking advantages of any and all opportunities, no matter how small they may appear to you.