So like pretty much everyone else I spent last night (and a good portion of today) watching the Chilean mine rescue. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and though it caused me to miss a blog post I have to say that I am glad that I watched it. I do have a few thoughts and comments on the events though.
1) Nothing is braver than being the first rescuer down the mineshaft. It is basically a case of “We are sending you down to a place where 33 people have been trapped for over two months in a box that we have tested but aren’t entirely sure works. Oh yeah, and when you get there you are going to have to stay down there for a while. Don’t worry, we promise we’ll bring you back up. Eventually.”
2) That said, the image of him and the rescue pod getting down to the miners is going to be one of my favorites for a long time. First, because somehow they sent down a camera crew with a satellite linkup before the rescuer (or at least that is what it seemed like.) And secondly, did anyone catch the stance the rescuer gave when addressing the miners? He had his hands on his hips, chest out in the classic superman pose. In that situation though that was entirely what was called for. He had to convey extremely important information to a group of people who could be too busy celebrating to actually listen. He took control of the room just through posture alone.
3) The announcers did kind of blow it when, as the first rescued miner appeared, they said “now there are only 32 men left underground.” No, it was still 33 since the rescuer was down there. At that point they technically hadn’t rescued anyone. More like tagged someone out.
4) I’m more than a bit surprised at how healthy they are. They had been receiving supplies from the surface for the past month or so which did mean that they were not starving to death. But most of them seemed very excited and energetic and all walked out of the capsule without any issue. For spending two months in cramped quarters underground, with the first few weeks essentially without food or water, that is really impressive.
5) More impressive is the miner who invited his wife and his mistress to greet him once he reached the surface. His thought must have been, “Hell, if I survived this I might as well knock out this introduction while I am at it.” Though I must think there is another miner who has requested to be the last one up simply because he would much rather stay underground than deal with his life back up on the surface.
6) By the way, does anyone else wonder if these guys will have to be back at work on Monday? I mean, they’ve spent the past two months doing absolutely nothing. You would have at least thought that they would have done some mining while they were down there. While I kid about when they’ll go back the thing is these guys will almost all go back to work in the mines. That is what they do for a living.
7) I saw an interesting discussion online today about whether or not we should refer to the miners as heroes. I agree in that hero is probably not the right term for them. Surviving in and of itself is not a heroic task. However, these guys showed a will to live and work together that is just awe inspiring. The facts are incredible. For two weeks they were trapped a half mile underground with no idea if anyone was even looking for them. Then they were told that it would be months before they could be rescued. Yet these 33 guys kept each other going and you heard no stories of fights or arguments or people breaking down. Each supported the other. I don’t know if that counts as heroism per se but it is certainly admirable.
Wednesday Night Music Club: I’m probably way behind the curve in liking the Decemberists but hey, at least I am in the right decade. I think…
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