Imagine this. You get up out of bed, go to work, and stay there for the next two months. No lunch break, no pizza delivery. No combing hair or shaving. No TV. No iPhone. The air conditioner is out and its about ninety degrees as you sit around. All of your co-workers there with you, doing nothing, just waiting to go home.
Those miners in Chile are finally being brought up from their collapsed mine, the longest period of time anyone has been buried and lived to tell about it. Truth is, the story is pretty compelling, and I found myself switching over to a news channel last night – just in time to see the first and second survivors emerge.
There really is more to the story: for the first seventeen days, no one knew if the miners were still alive a half mile down in that cave. After the husband doesn’t come home for more than two weeks, I’m guessing most wives would have assumed the worst.
That’s what made for such great television. Seeing the expression of those waiting to see their husband and father, the joy at being reunited, the perceptible relief at having survived such a disaster.
It’s wonderful that the world was able to see a happy ending for a change. The government of Chile is to be commended for taking charge, and still allowing others with expertise to assist toward a successful conclusion. As for the workers, they’ll go from the dark of a cave to the spotlight of attention. The thirty-three men will have completely different lives from here on out – depending on how much they enjoy the limelight. Already, TV appearances complete with paid airline flights and hotels are in the works.
You know there will be book and movie deals. Those men who risked their lives to scrape precious metal from the earth’s core will have new opportunities.
No doubt, it’s well earned.
It is almost shameful that we risk the lives of husbands and fathers simply to produce pretty golden rings for fingerwear. That may be what gives the gold its value, but it does little to honor the memory of those whose lives are lost in its pursuit.
The real-life drama of the rescue points out the difference between treasure and the truly precious nature of human life.
Read up before you get stuck somewhere!
Mo Info: