As each miner in the little cartoon-like rescue capsule surfaced, cheers erupted and the world wept tears of joy... finally, some good news. It's amazing how starved we all are for good news. The miners' story had nothing to do with a global recession or global warming or greedy banks or intertribal strife or terrorism. Their story was one of incredible survival, of determination and discipline in the face of odds stacked so high against them you'd think giving up would have been the only option.
Yet, they persevered, and so did the people who worked so feverishly to get them out.
It's a story of human strength, faith and, yes, love.
As an aside, last night I turned to my usual news source in times of breaking developments: CNN, As the last miner emerged to the waiting arms of his family and the tear-y smiling face of his country's president, CNN allowed Larry King and his guest for the night-- the ever-cynical Michael Moore-- to continue talking... Michael Moore can't say anything good about anything good. It's not in his nature to concede that humans may actually be capable of coming together to work a seeming miracle... I had to change the channel, and may be off CNN for good.
Granted, the miners are victims of our ever-expanding demand for natural resources, supplied by an ever-greedier corporate culture that will cut corners, even those that put the lives of their workers at risk. But in that moment all that mattered was that somehow, some way, these 33 men survived in and emerged from hell-- and we're all better for it.