An Interview with Ben Young ‘82 on Surviving the Day

Survive the Day was released in September of this year and addresses the inevitability of storms in life and how he has personally learned to cope with them. Ben shared, “We can’t control the storms that hit our life, but we can control our response. That response is our responsibility.” He went on to say, “It’s imperative that you accept that your circumstances may not change, they may get worse, but that’s okay. Ask yourself: what can I do in these circumstances to connect with God and others in a meaningful way?”

Having been through a great deal of storms himself, Ben shared how his perspective has shifted because of circumstances in his life, “With pain comes empathy and compassion. The hardships in my life made me more compassionate and tougher. They also gave me an awareness of pain. Now, I feel like I can connect with someone on any level of deep pain.”

Ben’s book is relatable, compelling and Christ-centered. In our interview with him he stated, “God is always setting us up to put us in situations to depend upon Him more and less on ourselves.” 

Dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14

While at SBS, Ben never once dreamed of writing a book, let alone several! To date, he has published six books. Though he was heavily involved in both yearbook and journalism, he shared, “That’s only because at the time, our class wasn’t all that big, so I did it all.” That he did! Ben was on yearbook staff, president of student council, played varsity basketball, starred in the fall drama and was a member of every club the school offered. If you don’t believe us, be sure to check out the first Aquila yearbook, and you will see Ben’s byline on every other article. As he continued to share fond memories of his time at SBS, he was sure to mention his biggest takeaway: he learned how to write. Ben specifically thanked former SBS English teacher Janet Sims for the ease at which he was able to crank out those college essays. 

Thank you, Ben, for taking the time to discuss your latest book with your alma mater and reminisce for a bit. If you have not yet had the opportunity to purchase and read Survive the Day, we couldn’t recommend it more!