After spending just more than two months in a collapsed mine shaft in northern Chile, 33 miners (all Chilean except one Bolivian) climbed into a 24-inch capsule, barely wider than a man’s shoulders, and took a 15-minute journey through 2,050 feet of rock.
When the mine collapsed on Aug. 5, the men were believed to be dead. And they remained so to the world for 17 days, until a message attached to a drill made its way to the surface.
While we’re conditioned to believe that things like this don’t end well — think “Lord of the Flies” — we’re all fascinated by the feeling of impossibility associated with this situation, where men aged 19 to 63 were able to coexist in such disheartening conditions for so long.
In 69 days the true value of life surfaced before these men ever did.
They were able to find a sense of community in what could have slowly squeezed the will to live like a vice. And there were certainly some dark moments (no pun intended), but for the most part the men were able to serve as an inspiring example of the capability of the human spirit and give even those above ground a revitalized appreciation for life.
Birthdays passed and childbirths were missed, but the men sought out their niche in the small quarters and made the best of what they had — each other.
Their means for survival may have been the deliveries of hydration gels, water, food and medical supplies sent through the borehole, but sustaining the spirit came through Bibles, letters, soccer videos and, wait for it, Elvis Presley songs.
The men taped video of their quarters, which included a stash of medical supplies, an area for prayer and a “casino.”
And one man, a self-proclaimed fitness buff even ran a few kilometers a day in the open tunnels.
The last man to surface was Luis Urzua, the 54-year-old shift leader who was the one to insist that everyone wait to eat until all of the food came through the borehole. They even managed to maintain a sense of humor by passing out rocks from the mine as souvenirs.
Seeing the world through a small borehole may have given these 33 men a greater view of what it means to be human than all of us who are actively submerged in it. Let’s allow these miners to help us focus on what really matters: life and never taking your mind off the light (consider it an excuse to wear your sunglasses at night).
The New York Times reported that Mario Gomez, the oldest miner, told the Chilean president Sebastian Pinera, “Sometimes you need something to happen in your life to understand we only have one life — and one thinks one needs to change. I changed. I am a different person.”
