Hypothetical question...

You're a young adult living on a small tropical island back in the 1700's. The island has very little food, no boats, no opportunity and not much future. You lost your job on the island that you're nearly broke. Your friends and family encourage you to try and find a way to go live your dreams in life. (but they don't have any answers as to how). You long to see the world, and get off the island and live your dreams.

You enjoy swimming in the bay in your free time, until one day you get attacked by a shark that leaves you bloody and battered. You soon realize that there's actually a fair bit of sharks in the bay. And that you have to be extremely careful in future. You haven't swam since the attack.

One day a bottle with a note floats to shore. You open the note. It's a map that shows a near by island which is about 1mile away (2nd abandon island near yours). You clearly recognize the map and this islands name on the map. You can even see that island not far off from the shore. The note says "on the wayward side of the island you'll see a very large palm tree. Exactly two paces from the tree toward the ocean, a famous pirate burried a treasure chest. it's exactly 3 ft deep and the note says that the treasure chest is loaded with gold and jewels. And it shows a very exact map of all this.

Because that pirate likely will not be back for months or years, if you can get out there, then treasure is yours. You believe what the note says because you've seen pirate ships anchored off that islands coast on that wayward side.

No one on your island has the resources to build a boat or anything to get out there. But you're pretty sure you could swim out to where the treasure is buried, dig around and see if the treasure is there. You can also see an abandoned boat on that islands shore that was left by the former tribe the lived there. That leads you to believe that if you swam out there and found the treasure, then you could use that boat to get the treasure off the island.

You could even use the boat to sail to the near by larger island. Large passenger ships show up frequently at this bigger island (3rd island), so From there you could go anywhere in the world and live out your dreams, as you'd have the funds to do that.

You realize that this could be an serious "once in a lifetime opportunity". If you wait too long the pirate might come back and take his burried treasure and you'll lose your chance.

But you have a problem....

You know there's sharks out there, and a lot more of them than you realized. You barely survived the last attack on you. You realize that you could be killed trying to swim to the other island, either by the sharks or dangerous ocean currents. Or if the pirate returned just after you dug up the treasure you'd be killed. Then there's the question of whether the abandon boat is even sea worthy anymore. Or if the treasure map is accurate. So there's a lot of unknowns too. But this still is a real once in a lifetime opportunity that's you've found.

It's a good opportunity though as you think this map is real. The alternative is very bleak. You have nothing going for you at all where your at. So you feel like this could be worth trying for.

Okay so if you were this young adult what would you do??? Please Explain?

When I was younger my father would often address me as 'Jesus H. Christ' before asking why, for example, I left the lights on or some such so I would just walk on water over to the other island.

Some whale bones will float on water. I'd pray to the whale gods that one would wind up dead on my shore. I would then make a raft out of it's bones and tissue.

Hahaha, I'm just picturing a creepy, bloody, bone raft!

Land Ho!

a reply to: lavatrance

It is impossible that an island dwelling people would have no capacity and resources to build a boat. The reason I say this, is that there is no way to build adequate shelter for a community, without materials that could easily be repurposed into raft making materials.

Therefore, even if others thought it impossible to achieve, I would find some way to build a simple raft, and a couple of long, sharp wooden spears for fending off sharks, and make my way via that rudimentary floatation device, to the island. Once there, I would ferry the treasure to the large island, using the boat on the treasure island.

From there, the world.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Pick me up on your way over. I can turn some of the seawater into vino for us.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Knock it up a gear old chap.

It has to be rum!

a reply to: TrueBrit

What good is it being the Messiah if I cannot magic up some navy-strength rum? Ask and ye shall receive.

What is the point in getting a treasure and get back to an island without resources?

a reply to: Dumbass

Are you asking hypothetically?

a reply to: Dumbass

You take the treasure to the larger island, where the big boat from the mainland occasionally rocks up, and then purchase passage upon said conveyance to pastures new, as well as purchasing a pair of flintlocks and a good blade at the earliest opportunity.

I would go for it. for what I gather I have nothing at all to lose but my life. If I die, at least I died trying, if I survive then I have a chance for a better future, a better one than if I had done nothing at all. If I make it and it is all for nothing, well yea that sucks, BUT, what ever happens, I will know that I at least tried for something better.

maybe bring a friend or two, so that while swimming across there is the whole probability factor, of one of them being eating instead of me. (as messed up as that is, its a shark eat shark world)

a reply to: lavatrance

Gather a big bunch of seaweed with hollow stems and 'floats', tie it all together with the strands and make a raft to cross.

Don't know if its possible, considering the 'dangerous currents' you mentioned. A mile is a long way to swim, float or paddle in strong currents.

Are you writing a video game scenario or something?

a reply to: lavatrance

But you have a problem....

You know there's sharks out there, and a lot more of them than you realized.

yeah I get that, but are they capable of space travel?

Tie a bunch of dead and bloody animals onto 10 foot ropes extending all around you.
Swim as fast as you can as each animal gets ripped off the rope and devoured by the sharks.
Hopefully you make it before they run out of snacks.

Also bring a dagger tho use if the sht hits the fan and you have to do hand to hand combat with the sharks.

Another idea is to cover yourself in ghost pepper sauce so the sharks think twice about eating your other leg.
If just half of you makes it there, you'd be able to have some gold plated stubs to move around with and you'd look pretty bad ass for the 1700's.

a reply to: TrueBrit

so you would go for it then???

a reply to: Dumbass

no see after getting the treasure the dude doesn't go back home. He goes off to a near by 3rd island that's larger and has connections to the world. So from there he can go take his treasure and live out his dreams.

but the question is "would you actually try or not"???

I was hoping for more feed back about this.

a reply to: lavatrance

Given the lack of opportunity, space, and a likely as not terrible place in the mating hierarchy on the island of my origin, yes, I would go for it. If it turned out being ridiculously badass off the island, I would send for my family later, once I had established for myself some sort of home and perhaps a business, or at least a plot of land and a decent dwelling. If not, I would deal with my folly by devoting my time to slaying as many evil individuals with cutlass and flintlock as my will and strength would allow. In the 1700s, a slayer of evil men would never want for work to be doing. A dark time by modern standards, and darker still by the oldest standards as well.

a reply to: TrueBrit

okay so you think the opportunity outweighs the risks?