RESCUE ON ROBINSON CRUSOE ISLAND

ROBINSON CRUSOE is one of the three island in the Pacific Ocean that make up the archipelago called the Juan Fernandez, about 400 miles off the coast of Chile."  The 36-square mile island got that name from a famous 18th-century novel entitled Robinson Crusoe, written by the English author Daniel Defoe.  The novel apparently was loosely based on the adventures of a Scotsman, Alexander Selkirk, who lived alone on the island for some four years. 

A wooden sign on the island states in part:  "At this site, day after day for more than four years, the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk anxiously searched the horizon for the rescue boat that would free him for this isolation."  Eventually, Selkirk was rescued and taken back to his homeland, to a world that no longer satisfied him after he had lived in his own little paradise.  He reportedly  later said:  "Oh, my beloved island!  I wish I had never left thee!"

With the passing of time, the island came to be used as a penal colony, inhabited by some who had committed  "crimes of faith"  against the Catholic Church. What a change from the paradisaical island that Selkirk once knew!  Present-day residents of the island, however, enjoy a peaceful serenity unknown in many parts of  the world.  The laid-back life-style, which is typical of many island cultures, makes it easy to start conversations with just about anyone.

Officially, Robinson Crusoe has about 500 inhabitants, but during most of the year, about 400 people occupy the island.  In part, the reason is that some mothers and their children live on the Chilean mainland during the vacation months to spend time with the rest of the family.

In spite of the beautiful garden like surroundings on Robinson Crusoe, some islanders feel a spiritual void, and are searching for answers.  Others have felt as if they needed to be spiritually rescued.

Next time: A Spiritual Rescue

The Watchtower, 2000