I've been in a true, physical life-or-death situation. The dominant thought was not an urge to pray, but a perfect clarity of purpose pushing me to take action

I've been in a true, physical life-or-death situation. The dominant thought was not an urge to pray, but a perfect clarity of purpose pushing me to take action towards survival. To surrender to chance was to accept and embrace death. What he's describing sounds more like denial. The situation was already over. He lost everything and was trying to wish it back into existence.