A new rallying point for Chile

A few months back when Chile was rocked by an earthquake, Chileans distinguished themselves by fighting back with a rare kind of fortitude.  Normalcy was restored soon enough despite the severity of the quake. Down in the dark inferno of Atacama’s belly with just an umbilical chord to sustain them, the miners had resigned to death, but battled to live. Importantly the  Chileans have yet again proved to the world that they are made of sterner stuff.

What emerges from the half mile ‘would be burial ground’ is a story without parallels. The gripping stories of the miners that the media has released showcases to the world the stark reality of life that was without even a glimmer of hope. Without any irony and play of words,  the blessed ‘pigeon’  shuttled down to the rescue room with food and hope. Mario Sepulveda, who emerged second from his tryst with destiny, summed up the whole saga, “ I have been with God and with the devil. They fought and God won. I grabbed God’s hands and never doubted about my rescue”  More stories are finding the columns of the world media, but the message is the same; they were without hope but decided to stare in the face of death with  stoic pragmatism. Democracy was the watchword. Every decision was put to vote. They had to do the possible and emerged heroes as they did the impossible. The endurance stories they recount are testimonies to their mettle who stood up to be counted. 

The collective effort of all the rescuers, the govt, the mining industry and above all the families who stood in vigil over the desert mine is already folklore.  ‘Phoenix’ has already achieved stardom and will rest in the museum of the Chilean mining industry.  The lessons learnt have set the ball in motion according to the Chilean authorities who are to ensure tougher safety standards. The miners are back with their dear ones. Some have decided to go back to work, others are in divided minds. The world stands up in ovation for the handlers of the crisis and the indomitable spirit of human kind. We salute you...