(This article was written during the time of the mine disaster in Chile which caught the attention of the world media. Today marks the third anniversary of this disaster, a reminder of how fragile life is)
Desert Chill
Technology and Man or should it be the other way around Man & Technology? Does it really matter which comes first because we must admit that it is a lethal combination. A combination that can break new grounds and destroy them all in the same life cycle. Man has gone far ahead from primitive times when he used to walk long distances.
Today we are bound by ageless and timeless mediums like the internet and supersonic speed jets. We can pierce the ground below and shatter the sky. Technology that came in handy during the fight for survival for the 33 miners trapped for 69 days down below in the earths belly at a depth of over 2000ft.
Let us close our eyes and imagine being down under, at that depth for a brief period. The very thought sends a chill down our spine and makes us shudder at the prospect. Let us imagine the thoughts that must have crossed the minds of the trapped miners. The thought of a son or daughter, and the moments of joy and sorrow that were spent together. The joy of being able to see their children grow up, take their first step or simply playing with their grand children.
Imagine the thought of what life would be after they had gone into the dark and lonely tunnel of death. The thought of not being able to see the sun rise or the moon at night, the twinkling of the stars, the chill of the desert breeze or the fresh gasp of air. The thought of not being able to fight and not being able to make up, the thought of not being able to kiss and be kissed, the thought of not being able to hug a loved one and not being hugged.
The thought of not being able to go to the movies and relate to your favorite star, the thought of not being able to do things right, the thought of missing out on our favorite meal. The thought of getting drenched in the rain, the thought of missing out on the wind howling during a storm, the thought of not being able to read the news story of tomorrow, the thought of not being able to do enough for the family, the thought of not being able to forgive, the joy at the thought of being able to go back in time and re live life one more time. How would the family survive? What about the debts? How would it be repaid and what effect would it have on the survivors in the family?
The thought of having lived life without the confirming sacrament of matrimony, and the thought of having to take a tough stand in family matters, now repenting. The thought of your newborn not being able to establish emotionally with you as they grow older, the thought of your father who had to stand this test of time and having to see his descendant go before him, the mother who sacrificed her all only to see her own being taken away by this cruel tryst of fate. The thought of not being able to have a proper grave and an epitaph engraved on the tombstone, the thought of a strange emptiness in your partner’s life. The thoughts are unlimited and one cannot stop the thought process. The speed of thought is quicker and you imagine the worst all within a few seconds.
But kudos to the human spirit that fought out the odds for the first 17 days to emerge victorious. Wow! What a tough nut this human spirit. One that can transcend the dark and unbearable, overcome the undercurrent of fear and hopelessness, the spirit that gives hope during times of hopelessness. Imagine being caught in that kind of a hole with no light anywhere. The spirit weakens, the will to survive slackens with each passing moment and we finally get ready to face the almighty.
It is during such harsh times that the leader in the human being takes over. No matter how outright dejected or thrashed we are, there is someone egging us on to break the shackles of bondage, the bondage of fear, the bondage of relenting without putting up the maximum effort, the ultimate push to light and resurrection. Such was the indomitable spirit of the shift in charge whose rationing of food allowed the miners to stay afloat till help arrived, or the President and people of Chile who tapped every square inch on the surface above to establish connect with the trapped below.
The never dying spirit of the families of those trapped below huddled together in the camp of Hope. Let us applaud the technology that enables us to establish this link and let us not forget the tears and silent prayers of the world which got together to beseech the almighty to let live. Every time a tragedy occurs in some part of the world, relief and rehabilitation happens there, but the cry of anguish travels across the globe from all parts of humanity for the unfortunate. This is the feeling of oneness the feeling of having a common ancestor a common master, for no matter where or how or what the circumstances are, the human race shares in that particular grief.
The Chile mine accident saw the world get together under the unrelenting passion of the people of Chile and the unending prayers of the human race cutting across, boundaries, race, religion or sex. NASA stepped in, so did the Americans with their technology, expertise and equipment and the journalists from far and near converged on an obscure part of the desert to be able to describe to us the elation or the pain in its proper perspective. A Chilean philanthropist donated money to each of the miners giving them a leg up.
Finally the time of reckoning had come; it was time to test prayers, passion, spirit, and technology all together and boy! Wasn’t it easy? It looked so easy that we all wanted to pay a visit down under just to feel the thrill of a ride into a dark hole. Let this episode remind us that we must do what we must do when it needs to be done because there might just not be another chance.
Love today and forgive today for tomorrow may never come for next time the hole may be deeper and the depths darker, the ride never ending and the cord of connect may be broken. Life is lived only once let us make the best use of it.
Robin Varghese
Mail to: robin_vargh@yahoo.com
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