Survivor Strategy

I will admit to the world, on this blog today, that I watch Survivor. I give many reasons for why—I like taking in the beautiful settings, I get ideas for youth group from the challenges, I get caught up in the drama and intrigue, or I just like seeing if I can guess who will be voted off. But, mostly, I like thinking of how I would play or act or react in certain of the same situations.

Lat night Chris one by both lying and acting like he was everyone’s #1 guy. It was unbelievable to see how this guy, who was up against 6 women who all at the outset wanted only women in the final, could get them to turn on each other and eventually they consumed each other. This left him to stand alone when the dust settled.

Anyway, it got me to thinking: “If I were on Survivor, how would I play?” Every time they flashed my picture and my name, right under it would read “Minister.” My ideology, conduct, and relationship with Christ would be on center stage for all to see. Would I be caught up in the game—the backbiting, the lying, the slander, etc.? Because seemingly, that is how the game is played and won. Or would I have integrity and be sent home the first night?

Well, what follows would be the strategy that I would start the game with. It may work. It probably would not.

I would change the mantra of the game from “Outwit, Outlast, Outplay” to “Outwork, Outlove, Outpatience.” These are not just glib phrases to sell Christian T-shirts, but qualities I desire and would have to work on.

There would be no treaties or alliances for me. If I happened to agree with others who were voting a certain way, then so be it. I would cherish friendships, not agreements.

I would seek to develop true relationships with the people. Can you imagine the first night sitting around an unlit campfire and doing boundary breakers? I think it would be awesome!

I would be careful to listen before reacting or speaking. Too many of the players refuse to actually listen. I am guarded anyway, so I think this would be my best play.

When it came to voting, I would use the following criteria:
1) Did the person in question mess up a challenge for the team (performance)?
2) Does what the person brings to the team outweigh what s/he detracts from it (cohesiveness)?
3) Is the person in question divisive (unity)?
4) Are there real opportunities to be Christ to this person down the road (witness)?

And when I decided on a person, I think I would tell them before the vote. Not in a mean vindictive way, but tell them what I was thinking. That would probably come back and bite me, but you never know. And when there was a problem among the team, I would look to be a peacemaker instead of resolving it with gossip and power plays. I would use encouragement rather than guilt or condescension.

I think that this way of playing has a chance, because if you get people to really trust you, and if you invest in them they will want to keep you around. Of course, like the Kingdom, this is an ideal. And, I will probably never audition to be on a Survivor, but you never know.