Good News is Good News!

Yes, it is a poor revamp of the old saying "No news is good news." Sorry about that, but honestly today the news that all the Chilean miners had been rescued was "news," and it was good news. With all the violence, war, political intrigue, crime, and general misery that is the meat of today's news, the rescue of the miners was, amazingly still newsworthy and such a lift for the day. Normally good news does not "sell" but today it was different. The world was on edge, waiting to hear that every miner was released from their would-be grave. By mid-morning all the men were out and getting treatment at local hospitals. In just a few hours it was all over!

Not really...

The ordeal for these men lasted over sixty days...TWO MONTHS! I had to slow down and really digest the reality of what these men went through. Even the "dramatic rescue" actually involved weeks of painfully slow drilling through bedrock. And be honest, most of us had really put this situation in the back of our minds, maybe occasionally checking the tube to get another update. But think about it. These men, like many of us all over the world, work a business day, or a shift. For miners, of course, the shift is worked underground. I don't know how anyone can voluntarily travel underground for thousands of feet, use tools or even dynamite to make the mine deeper, and yet be calm enough to dig out the ore and transfer the oar back to the surface. At least the miners know that at the end of the shift they will go back to the surface and walk out into the sunshine and fresh air. I admire anyone who can do this. I can barely keep it together long enough to take a walk through Innerspace Cavern, which is well lit and air conditioned. I did it years ago, but only because I did not want my child to think his daddy was a chicken. I was able to conceal my shakes and tears, and maintain my footing as we walked through the cave, because I knew we would be out in less than an hour. I believe I would literally have a nervous breakdown if I were detained in Innerspace Cavern for even a few hours.

But there was some good news for those miners. At least one of the miners had limited medical training or experience. Another man was able to calm everyone and focus them on the only thing that mattered all of the sudden - survival. Of course there was panic and fear in the early hours of the disaster, after all, these men were...well, human. No doubt there was dismay and even hopelessness and desperation. But in the midst of the panic and fear, one or more of the miners established order, calming the men and establishing a plan of survival. It may have been that the only thing the men were actually in control of was their own bodies. That is, all each person could control was his response to the very dire and grave circumstance that they suddenly faced. Calm persons breathe slower and deeper, thus conserving available air. With calm came the ability to clearly assess the situation and decide if there were any immediate steps to be taken while awaiting rescue. While the details of what the men went through and how they survived are as yet unknown, no doubt their stories will be told in news interviews, and eventually in books and movies. Regardless, the men were able to survive in good shape until they were rescued.

I breathed that collective sigh of relief with the rest of the world as we learned that all of the men were finally out. In some small way, the world shared in the miners' fear, and in the hope for their rescue, and finally in the great joy and celebration when the first man finally emerged from the rescue shaft. And the same joy and celebration was extended to the last man out, many hours later. With all the bad and evil that seems to be never-ending in this world of ours, it is still amazing how, for just a little while, all the world comes together in some small way and out pours hope and faith that there will be, against all odds, some Good News, after all.