All swans are white. Obviously. There are no real life heroes.
23rd February 2026 Blog Post 12
All swans are white. Of course. Existence of black swans is so exceedingly improbable, against all odds, inconceivable, that believing there are any is beyond bounds of imagination. That’s if you live in Europe and don’t know that there are real black swans in Australia and New Zealand. (See book “The Black Swan” by Nassim Taleb).
Prioritising others safety in face of extreme danger, at significant personal risk, is the stuff of real heroes.
4th August 1991, terrible storm, the Oceanos was flooding uncontrollably and going down. Moss Hills had no clue about how the blinking dials in the darkness worked. Captain and senior officers had abandoned ship, most on the first lifeboat, leaving passengers and non-technical crew to their fate. Moss, lead guitarist on board, his wife: base guitarist and a magician found themselves driving the rescue operation. No idea how to send a Mayday signal, somehow they got through to a ship whose captain asked: “Where are you?” “Somewhere between East London and Durban”. “No – What are your co-ordinates”? “No idea”. What is your rank? “No rank. I am the lead guitar”. “Who is there with you?” “The base guitar and a magician”.
Sounds crazy, but true story. Check it on the internet.
Day at sea 22/02/2026, 35 years later, Moss, now our ship’s Cruise Director, presented first time ever, with extraordinary humility and humour, the traumatic experience which resulted, improbably against all odds, in saving lives of all 571 people on board Oceanos before it sank. Remarkable presence of mind, impulsive courage, raw adrenaline. Most importantly innate values and conviction about what had to be done. He choked up (so did we all, not only at this comment) when he conveyed that his wife (in audience) insisted on helping to the end, the last female by some margin, to leave the ship.
You don’t believe this can happen. Until it does. Not often is one honored to be in the midst of true heroes.
And there we were, 23/02/2026 at Lake Pupuke, Auckland New Zealand, watching its majestic black swans glide gracefully across the calm waters.
