We can all learn from the Chilean mine rescue
On Oct. 13, when the 33 miners from the Copiapo Chilean mine collapse were miraculously raised to the surface from their cavern 2,000 feet beneath the surface, exclamations of joy were heard not only in Chile but throughout the world. Briefly putting aside rivalries and national and political differences, people came together as people and rejoiced.
How often do we wish that there were similar moments celebrating our common humanity and not our differences? After being reunited with their families and then whisked away in stretchers to the hospital, the miners rejoined us here above ground where we are anything but united.
The mine disaster in Chile was notable not just from the perspective of an amazing rescue but as an example of what teams of people working together can accomplish, both above ground and below.
When I first read of the dilemma of 33 miners trapped under the earth and heard that the rescue would take months, my reaction was, as I am sure many others experienced, “Who could wait two to four months under the earth waiting to be rescued?”
With all the many things that could go wrong, who would have the faith to believe that this could be accomplished?
For the first 17 days, no one even knew the miners were there. A note attached to a drill bit that returned to the surface was the first indicator. For 17 days they had lived on some canned tuna, milk and peaches. Suppose rescuers had given up before that. Suppose the workers below had given up. It would have been reasonable.
Working with individuals and families who live in close quarters, but not quarters as close as these, who have difficulty making it from day to day, and as a former teacher, I am sensitive to what the experience could teach us.
Here are some of the lessons from the mine experience in Chile.
Faith is everything. You do not have to follow an organized religion although one miner, on reaching the surface, fell to his knees and thanked God, but faith and belief in more than one’s self, whether it is in a shared human spirit or in a higher power, is critical. Many of us are only able to take the next step, to hope for a better life for ourselves and the next generations, and to get through the day because of faith. Some seriously debilitated people show more joy than others with no reasons for concern because they believe.
Without faith it would be easy to imagine the workers collapsing into deep depression.
Community pulls us together. I have difficulty imagining what it would be like 2,000 feet below the surface, but the description of the lives of the miners below ground provides amazing examples of people living together under the most stressful conditions imaginable and being in peace with each other. Certainly it helped that their above-ground connections cheered them on, sent down supplies, and kept them informed. Their condition was monitored, they communicated with people on the surface.
But, even with this, if they were not already attuned to living together and reinforcing each other’s spirits, it would be easy to imagine conditions deteriorating.
One man jogged underground to stay in condition. All of them worked together removing rubble to clear the way as the drill bit ate into the surrounding rock. They requested shampoo and shaving supplies so that, when they emerged, as they believed they would, they would look good for their families and friends. One miner’s wife gave birth while her husband was still trapped below ground.
We see simple examples of community all the time but often discount them. When people suffering from serious illnesses need help with medical bills, neighbors and friends conduct fundraisers. We send disaster relief to people all over the globe. Habitat for Humanity and Good Works are organizations designed to assist those in need of a home or home repairs. The success of the television program “Extreme Makeover — Home Edition” is likely due to this recognition of the power of help from the community.
Gratitude. An “attitude of gratitude” helps for survival. On Oct. 17, 13 of the 33 miners gathered in a tent set up outside the mine for a Mass of Thanksgiving. One formerly trapped miner said, “Everyone suffered out here as we suffered down there.”
The note to the surface received back on Aug. 22 when the drill bit penetrated the ceiling of the mine said simply, “We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us.” There were none left behind and all worked together.
We wonder if we can do the same.
About the Author Janet Colliton
Esquire, Colliton Law Associates, P.C. Janet Colliton has practiced law for over 38 years, 37 of them in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her practice, Colliton Law Associates, PC, is limited to elder law, Medicaid, including advice, applications and appeals, and other benefits planning including Veterans benefits, life care and special needs planning, guardianships, retirement, and estate planning and administration.