I am sitting in the living room doing something I almost never do in the morning: I’m watching TV. The amazing story of the trapping of these miners and then their discovery, their preservation, and now their rescue is inspiring. The first four who have come up look amazingly well given their ordeal. But, it seems to me that this entire operation is a metaphor for the human condition. We are here for a time, and we are all in this together. No one is in it alone. When one or a group of us is in difficulty or danger, our best efforts, our prayers, and our knowledge and forethought should be put to the task of rescue, of making safe, and keeping healthy.
I am hopeful that all of them will be rescued expeditiously, that their future lives will be happy and healthy, and that those of us who have been waiting above will treat them with the respect and awe they deserve. Let’s also spare a thought for those who still work underground to mine the minerals and metals we use in our mobile phones, our computers, our TVs. They so easily can be the victims of the brutality of the mines, and we should think of them when we use our technological marvels.
I wouldn’t have fit in that rescue chamber. I’m somewhat too large. And spending twenty minutes in the darkness for the bumpy trip up would have upset me.
I was peacefully watching something else on television when Delia’s friends started calling to tell her to watch the news. I guess I’m the low man on the totem pole: we quickly switched to a news channel, just in time to see the third one arrive in the capsule. That was enough for me. I’m not fond of the endless agonizing practiced by the television news factories. I’m sure, though, that some people wanted to sit there and watch while the entire remaining thirty miners were brought up.