Los 33

I've been really moved by the ordeal of 'los 33' Chilean (and one Bolivian) miners who were trapped underground for 69 days. The entire ordeal has been amazing. The resolve and discipline of the miners, who long surpassed records of time spent underground. The engineering prowess and coordinated effort of the rescuers. Even the role of instant communication- I think this will mark the first rescue to have live streaming feeds from both ends of the rescue.

I'm staggered by the social discipline of the miners- to not only survive the initial 17 days of not even knowing if the surface knows you're alive, but to stay focused and motivated, and cohesive as a group. It makes me wonder about other professions and the personality types they have. For example, if it were 33 architecture students trapped in an architecture building for two months, ...it would just be about time for a midterm review, so bad example. But anyway.

There has also been much of the disturbing. Lots of political capitalizing on an emotional moment. For example, the first person to embrace the Bolivian to the surface was none other than Evo Morales, the Bolivian president. (His family, who was waiting right there, had to wait). Three drills were set up simultaneously to drill down to rescue the miners at considerable expense and effort. These 33 miners survived, but 443 Chileans died in workplace accidents in 2009 alone. How does the cost of rescuing the miners compare to improving the workplace conditions or safety that would have saved the lives of the 443? 

It's also an interesting study in the psychology of numbers. If there were 300 miners who were killed or stranded, would there be this much attention? Or 3,000? Numbers have a tendency to numb, as people lose their ability to comprehend and empathize with large numbers of missing, injured, or killed. For example, 5,875 Americans were killed distracted driving (read: cellphones) car accidents in 2008. That's a staggering number- too staggering. It's horrible, but it doesn't have the impact of 'los 33.' There might be 33 people riding a city bus. 5, 875 might be a small town.