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Thoughts For Thursday: Rescued Miners and Perspectives On Life

October 14, 2010 · 67 comments

in Life, Thoughts For Thursday

I must say, I have been riveted by the story of the miners in Chile.  I was glued to the TV Tuesday night when they pulled that first miner out of rescue cage.  I was so excited to see him be reunited with his family, especially with his son.  I am basically a big sap.   It was wonderful to see something good going on in the world instead of hearing about foreclosures, terror threats, and oil spills.

This story has been so…human.  There was so much to take in to consideration for the rescue; exposure to sunlight, pressure changes and blood clots, the health of each miner, etc.  I cannot imagine how hard it would be to be the last miner to be rescued.  The anticipation would be horrible.   The whole situation made me think about what I would want to do if I had been trapped underground with 32 other people for 69 days and was finally rescued.  My to-do list would be as follows:

  1. Obviously, hug my family.  I would be crying my face off.  I cannot imagine how emotional I would be, considering I love getting hugs after returning from dinner and a movie!
  2. Brush my teeth.  I don’t know if they had toothbrushes down there or not, but I would be running to the sink, reaching for the Crest Whitening Expressions (Cinnamon, preferably).
  3. Shower.  It would be the longest shower EVER.  I would probably scrub off 4 layers of my skin, but it would be the best.
  4. Have a hot turkey sandwich, with homemade gravy.  Hopefully someone would prepare it for me, I wouldn’t want to cook right away.
  5. Take the longest nap in my bed.  I would want the cleanest, freshest sheets and my favorite flat-as-a-pancake pillow.
  6. Sit on my back patio, enjoy the breeze, and eat a giant bowl of fresh fruit.

As I look at the list I wrote above, I realize that nothing I would want is expensive or fancy.  As a matter of fact, shopping would probably be at the very bottom of my list.  It would be about being with people I love, getting some good rest, and having some comfort food.   It is stories like these that can really get you thinking about what is truly important in life.  Whereas there is no way to truly understand what these poor men and their families have been through, it can still add a little perspective to your own life.

Have you thought about what you would want if you have been kept away from your family and home for an extended period of time?  Would work be anywhere on that list?

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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

Money Reasons October 14, 2010 at 8:23 am

I couldn’t even imagine how horrible that experience was that they endured! At least the ending was a happy one 🙂

I wonder if they will all see life from a different viewpoint after this?

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 9:05 am

I was just watching a news show about how some of these guys are really having troubles. One has depression, one has pneumonia, several have high blood pressure and dental problems. In a way though, I am surprised everyone lived. I just hope they don’t have long-lasting effects from this.

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Money Reasons October 14, 2010 at 5:53 pm

Hmmm, I didn’t answer your questions earlier!

Work wouldn’t be on my list, although blogging would be. But blogging is a hobbie, not work 🙂

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 6:55 pm

MR – You would be out on your back deck, drinking a beer, watching the kids play, and blogging.

By the way, conditional captcha is the best!!! Install it immediately.

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Nicole October 14, 2010 at 8:25 am

Great post!

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Nicole October 14, 2010 at 8:26 am

Dang, teach me to just appreciate a post without any actual substance.

I’m not a spambot! That’s a neat spam filter though.

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Nicole October 14, 2010 at 8:27 am

correction: the POST has substance, my first comment doesn’t… I think I’m going to go back to sleep right now. (I love bed.)

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 8:32 am

Thanks for the clarification! The ‘conditional captcha’ is a wonderful thing. I installed it a week ago, and it has caught almost 1000 spam comments that I didn’t have to go through to decide if they were spammy or not. Saves me a ton of time!

Sorry Captcha deemed you as spam. I would have never done that to you myself! 🙂

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Money Reasons October 14, 2010 at 5:51 pm

That conditional captcha sounds pretty sweat! I’ll have to check it out!

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Crystal @ BFS October 18, 2010 at 2:40 pm

I love it! I don’t have to fish out real people and only have to delete a few spam comments a week. I don’t like Captcha all the time since it’s annoying for me, but this is the best of both worlds imo…

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Khaleef @ KNS Financial October 18, 2010 at 2:44 pm

I love conditional captcha! It has made moderating comments so much easier! Plus, I no longer go to spam jail on sites that have it installed.

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Roshawn @ Watson Inc October 14, 2010 at 9:13 am

This would be a horrific and am happy everything worked out overall. How you ended this post is quite poignant. The old adage ” no one ever said I wish I would have worked more on their death bed.” I think this is largely true because people often hate their jobs. However, even if you love your job, being with love ones would have to be a top priority as well as recuperation, which are both included on your list. I suspect most people would do variants of what you propose. Some people would possibly work on their bucket lists and finally get life insurance too! Thanks for the reflection.

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 6:45 pm

Roshawn – From what I have heard, things was definitely a life changing event for these miners (obviously). But it was about family, and doing what matters in life. I hate that these men had to suffer, but I think their story will affect many that were nowhere near that mine. It is easy to get caught up with life in general that you can forget how important the very basics really are.

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Rebecca October 14, 2010 at 10:56 am

I keep crying whenever I think about it too. Especially the leader who took charge and kept them all alive. What a hero that man is!

But the whole thing also makes me think another darker thought. While all of our attention has been on these miners, and the spectacular rescue, with all of the money and time and effort spent in freeing them, I somehow can’t stop thinking about the many thousands of other people on this planet who are suffering and dying in obscurity. It’s like when there’s a dramatic accident we’re all rapt with attention, but people who suffer and die because they don’t have access to clean water, or food to eat, or basic medical care somehow just fade into the background noise because their plight is so mundane.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a sentimental fool for the miners… it’s really an incredible story. I just can’t help thinking that if we could just take a tiny fraction of that energy and spread it around a little bit, we could alleviate so much suffering in this world.

Maybe it’s just that 33 trapped human beings hits us all so personally. We can put ourselves in their places, imagine their feelings, and so we are moved by it. But thousands of children dying from malaria or something like that, is just so big that it simply overwhelms our capacity to empathize. They just become numbers somehow instead of individuals.

Sorry… didn’t mean to put a bummer spin on a truly beautiful post.

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 6:50 pm

Rebecca – your comment wasn’t a bummer at all. I was very confused when there was all that flooding in Pakistan this past summer, and there was barely any press coverage (or so it seemed), and I also didn’t see any movie stars doing fund raisers.

I wonder if part of the mining story was the fact these people COULD be rescued. Had they all died, it would have been on the news for 5 seconds and that would be it. But, there was suspense in seeing if the drill could reach them, and then eventually get them out. I am actually glad that good news was followed so closely because I am getting a little tired of all the bad.

There is hunger and blight all over the world. Heck, I can drive 12 miles south of where I live and see plenty of poverty and sorrow. It is such a monumental problem, and it is heartbreaking. I don’t even know how to begin to solve such a huge issue…

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Aloysa October 14, 2010 at 11:20 am

The rescue was amazing! And it is so great that these miners stayed alive, together and survived the most horrifying ordeal of their lives. I cannot imagine spending two months in a confined space, with no daylight, no showers, and limited supply of food. They are heroes!

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 6:51 pm

Aloysa – you are right, they are all heroes. Especially the miner that emerged last, it sounds like he really got everything under control. Thank God there was a leader who was able to ration the food, think to turn on the lights to simulate daylight, etc. I hope they are all ok in the long term.

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Suba @ Wealth Informatics October 14, 2010 at 2:41 pm

The rescue was amazing! I cried seeing the rescue, so I would obviously be crying my heart out if I was one of the rescued 😉

I am sure it would be a life changing experience for them, I think they would look at their lives from a whole new perspective from now on. It makes “me” look at my life differently…

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Kris October 14, 2010 at 6:54 pm

Suba – it made me think too. I hope all those miners can retire now, but I have no idea if they are getting any financial compensation.

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Andrew October 14, 2010 at 7:58 pm

I have been away from my family for two weeks at a time due to travel obligations. I don’t like it much. All I want to do when I get home is get and give lots of hugs, and not do much of anything.

The events was deeply moving and teared me right up, I guess for the joyful end to what could have been yet another tragedy. God knows there’s enough of those around the world.

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Khaleef @ KNS Financial October 14, 2010 at 9:12 pm

I think this is such a great exercise to perform whenever life gets too stressful. Just think about what your to-do-list would look like if you were trapped in a mine for over two months! Hopefully, the stress would melt away, as you are challenged to focus on what is truly important!

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Financial Samurai October 15, 2010 at 1:09 am

So unbelievable. Never complain! Life is precious.

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Crystal @ BFS October 18, 2010 at 2:44 pm

I was just away from my husband for 3 nights and felt a little crazy – I don’t want to imagine 70 days…

My list would be very similar to yours:
1. HUGS and crying
2. Shower
3. Teeth
4. Steak and mashed potatoes
5. Sleep
6. Internet

Funnily enough, when I got back home on Sunday, it went similarly – hugs (no crying…I’m not that dependent yet…), shower, sandwiches, internet, tv, and then sleep. Thankfully I was able to brush my teeth and shower while out of town, lol.

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Kris October 18, 2010 at 9:40 pm

Sandwiches are a great thing! Welcome back!!!!

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