If you were stranded on a desert island, what item would you want with you?
You’ve probably been asked this before. It may be a silly question — not to mention an unlikely predicament in which to find yourself — but a person’s response can say a lot about his or her personality… or just offer a hearty chuckle. We posed the question to our 40 Leaders Under Forty and found that while some had a logical plan ready, others were just ready for good time.
Those in it for survival…
Dr. M. Jawad Javed: “ [A] lighter in order to start a fire, cook and possibly signal for help.”
Josh Swank: “I’d want a Leatherman or Swiss army knife. I try to be practical, and the first item I’d need would be shelter, then water, then food – all of which a multi-tool would be helpful in procuring.”
Kyle Bright: “An iPhone with a solar charger. It will help the search party find me, and I will be able to Google how to find food on a deserted island.”
Lisa Schwab: “According to Cast Away, all I need is a volleyball. I think I would want a survival guide that could tell me how to create shelter, build a fire and hopefully how to build a raft to get off the island.”
Stephen Peterson: “First, the book An Idiot’s Guide to Surviving on a Deserted Island. A close second: an unlimited supply of SPF 100.”
Travis McGlasson: “My KA-BAR knife.”
Ashley Spain: “My resourceful husband.”
Brian Johnson: “An iPad with 3G access to send an email for someone to get me.”
Dr. Asim Jaffer: “My glasses!!”
Dr. Karen Fernandez: “A survival knife, providing the island is in a tropical area. If the island is somewhere cold, I’d probably pick a jacket.”
Those who would want a piece of home…
Allison Paul: “A picture of my family.”
Brandy Dietrich: “My husband.”
Brett Ellis: “My iPhone. I can’t imagine not staying connected with everyone in my life!”
Jennifer Jones: “Aside from the fully-charged cell phone that miraculously gets service there? My family photo album.”
Melissa Riddle: “[A] picture of my children.”
Tom Lunsford: “A solar-powered laptop – to improve quality of life by keeping track of the time/date, looking at pictures of my loved ones, writing, and playing games.”
Malou Cristobal: “If not a living person, a cell phone with a solar-powered battery and internet access.”
Bart Rinkenberger: “My wife says my iPhone. It has my Bible on it, so I guess that’s right.”
Those who would just make the best of the situation…
Derrick Booth: “I would like to have my iPod with me on a desert island.”
Sarah Fletcher: “A REALLY good book.”
Erin Scherbinske: “A really good pillow. I enjoy my sleep!”
Gretchen Wirtz Primeau: “DIET COKE!!!”
Jared Woiwode: “A plastic sand bucket with shovel.”
Mylissa Carstens: “My knives… I would find something to chop!”
Paola Hinton: ” A well-stocked tiki bar.”
Stacy Peterson: “An e-reader device that’s loaded with books, magazines and newspapers, along with a connection to the Peoria Public Library’s digital library. And a battery, of course… ”
Tara Gerstner: “A luxury yacht… loaded down with all the conveniences of the modern world. Actually that sounds like a great vacation… one of my guilty pleasures!” iBi
