The Titanic and the tragic cost of Failure
Striving for a “Zero-Failure Mindset”: Learn for Success, Not from Failure (Part 1)
At the dawn of the 20th century, the apex of human ingenuity and an icon of ambition met a tragedy of epic proportions.
The Titanic was one of three Olympic-class ocean liners built by the White Star Line — a company that provides passenger and cargo services between the British Empire and the United States.
Its construction began on March 31, 1909, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was completed in March 1912.
The Titanic was designed to embody the zenith of luxury, technological advancements and safety.
It was a floating marvel with grand state rooms, an opulent dining hall, and sophisticated safety systems that included watertight compartments and remotely activated doors.
In the Shipbuilder magazine's special issue on the Titanic, published before the ship launched, the Titanic was reportedly termed “unsinkable”.
Some accounts added (though unverified), that it was said, “even God himself cannot sink the ship”.
This behemoth of a ship boasted a capacity for more than 2,200 individuals — accommodating both crew and passengers.
On April 10 1912, the "unsinkable" Titanic made its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.
However, on the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The ship's crew had received multiple iceberg warnings but continued at high speeds — somehow expressing their unwavering confidence in the ship's state-of-the-art engineering.
Unfortunately, the collision caused extensive damage to the ship's hull, leading to flooding in several compartments.
Suddenly, the “unsinkable” ship began to sink and lifeboats were launched.
But there were not enough for all the passengers and crew on board.
This was as per the maritime safety protocol at the time that legally required ship owners to carry lifeboats for a fraction of the total passengers and crew.
In addition, there was no mandate requiring ships to carry binoculars. The lack of such in the Titanic's crow's nest, a complete oversight, also contributed to the late sighting of the iceberg.
Also, the evacuation was chaotic, and the crew had difficulty organizing the passengers, which was partly due to a lack of emergency training.
The subsequent sinking of the Titanic resulted in over 1,500 fatalities, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.
After the disaster, Philip Franklin, VP of the White Star Line in New York, said, "I thought her unsinkable, and I based my opinion on the best expert advice available. I do not understand it."
Well, the aftermath of the Titanic's failure led to the overhaul of maritime safety protocols —
From the establishment of the International Ice Patrol for monitoring icebergs to stricter rules on the provision of lifeboats.
Really?
That was supposed to be the lesson learnt from the failure of the Titanic — improved maritime safety protocols? a lesson learnt only after 1,500 had died.
That is the bedrock of what we have been sold for years — “Fail, then learn from your failure, improve… yada yada yada”
But could the failure and the disaster have been avoided?
The answer is Yes.
The Titanic's ill-fated voyage, and many other disasters of such epic proportions throughout history, unveils the need for a new mindset for perceiving failure — a mindset that eliminates the possibilities of error.
As was the case with the Titanic, I believe they should have known that both humans and the most sophisticated of our creations are Fallible — something we learned in Genesis.
This realization should have necessitated more Humility, better Preparedness and constant Vigilance to reduce or eliminate the risk of such failures.
Rather, the crew of the Titanic overlooked warnings, underestimated potential threats, and placed a blind trust in technology — the result? a costly human disaster (the untimely perishing of about 1,500 souls).
Out of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on board the Titanic, only about 710 survived the disaster — but not without the tonne of guilt, trauma, and loss (as some lost spouses or family members).
We need a new mindset that fully understands the distinction between confidence and foolhardiness, between ambition and arrogance — a mindset that may have changed the fate of the Titanic and can also affect how we strive for success.
A “Zero-Failure Mindset” is a mindset that learns for Success, and not from Failure.
In this series, I’ll explain the Failure Epidemic, and how it all started and how it has permeated every aspect of human life;
I’ll also introduce the vaccine that builds antibodies against the Failure Virus and espouse the intricacies of a Zero-Failure Mindset.
Please stay tuned.
— Dr Azu ✌️
Your Wisdom Partner
Excellent piece sir.
Great job sir.