Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was one of the most important figures of the Twentieth Century, leading Great Britain to victory alongside the allied forces against Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and the early 1940s. His diaries have long since been the subject of in-depth analysis and it has been discussed from these that he may well have been a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder, and at the very least, Depression (Mountain, 2003, p3). In spite of this significant setback, Churchill proved himself to be the greatest leader that the United Kingdom has ever seen and remains to this day, an icon of the World War Two era and the freedom which millions laid down their lives for. His trademark ‘V for Victory’ hand signal is still routinely used today, but as the symbol for peace in homage to his role in bringing peace back to Europe and indeed, the world. To me, Churchill represents strength, persistence and tenacity against the odds and his personal difficulties, which his public was so blissfully unaware of, mirror his public struggle against evil forces in Europe: both of which he conquered, something which I think should be admired.
Churchill was perhaps best known for his speeches which preached the importance of tenacity in the face of adversity and his refusal to budge meant that he was instrumental in the regaining peace in Europe and preventing the Nazi forces of Adolf Hitler from consuming the world. His most infamous speech involved the now classic line, “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender” (Churchill, 2008, p218). This speech, along with his countless others, inspired not just the people of Britain but of the world, to battle against the Nazi evil: something which undoubtedly echoed his own personal battle against his inner demons.
He referred to his depression as being his ‘Black Dog’ and he wrote about his on-going battle to bring it back down to size and on its leash (Ellverton, 2004, p59). This fascinates me as often, life feels as though it is impossible to overcome: the issues that we all face in everyday life, for example, can sometimes feel as though they’re too much to bear. I, for one, often feel like I need reminding of what is a priority in life and as if I lose perspective of what is important and what’s not. When I feel like this, I find myself trying to reflect upon Churchill’s life. Despite infinitely difficult personal issues, he managed to lead an entire nation to victory over the greatest threat to western civilization that the world has ever seen. Even on his bad days, when he, in all likelihood, had just wanted to stay in bed and hide from the world, he stood up and represented strength and determination to millions of people, worldwide. He tamed his own black dog in unison with taming the evil intentions of the German Third Reich.
When analyzing his life, it is clear that whilst Churchill was born into a privileged existence, he was not work shy and overcame depression as well as a debilitating speech impediment. The latter of which is particularly impressive when considering that he has become known as one of the greatest public speakers to have ever lived. From my point of view, I worry about all sorts of things in my life, ranging from whether my cell phone has enough charge, right up to whether I’m going to be able to cover my outgoings that month. I worry a lot and often unnecessarily. When I find myself doing this, I find it helps to reflect upon Winston Churchill and his approach to life: he never gave up, he refused to surrender and he overcame a number of significant personal problems as well as leading one of the key countries in World War Two to victory alongside some of the most powerful countries in the world. He was and still is, an incredibly impressive figure and one I am proud to call my hero.
In conclusion, it is clear that Winston Churchill was a man with a great number of personal demons. His diaries have revealed a significant amount of inner turmoil which modern psychiatrists have concluded indicates that he was a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder: a condition which would have made difficulties and decisions extremely hard for him to cope with in a rational way. However, despite this, he successfully led Britain to conquer the evil which Nazi Germany presented. On the days when I wake up in a bad mood, and feel apathetic or worried, or too anxious to face the world, I reflect upon Churchill and the brilliant resilience and strength he routinely demonstrated in carrying out his role with aplomb whilst facing his own personal demons.
References
Churchill, W. (2008). Winston Churchill’s Speeches Never Give In! London: Random House.
Ellverton, P. (2004). Taming the Black Dog. Oxford: How to Books Ltd.
Mountain, J. (2008). Bipolar Disorder: insights for recovery. Colorado: Chapter One Press.
