Will We Learn From This Miracle ?

The world is normally a rather pathetic place.   There is far too much national, religious, ethnic and patriotic fervor which too easily translates into hatred.   We see evidence of that every day in newspapers, on TV, on the internet and even in our communities.   But tonight something special is happening as people all over the world are witnessing a rescue that not too long ago would have been considered impossible.

The 33 Chilean miners (actually 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian) who were trapped many hundreds of meters underground after a mine collapse are finally being rescued after being trapped for a record 69-70 days.   The world is truly witnessing a miracle.   It's not a religious miracle, although I'm sure there are many who will see it as such, but a miracle of endurance, technology, hard work, perseverance, expertise, innovation, courage and a refusal to give up.   And that's just at the site of the incredible rescue.

A second miracle is also occurring as millions of people around the world put aside their differences for a little while to witness and rejoice in the rescue of these 33 miners.   For a little while the world is one and a marvelous, if short-lived, bit of brotherhood is experienced.   For one beautiful day the hatred is forgotten as we all experience the same joy as each rescue happens.   For a few hours or a day the world seems to all want the same thing -- the safe rescue of 33 men we don't know and will never meet.

It's at times like these that one can see that there might be hope for the human race, because we can see that mankind is capable of rising above the hatred and greed to share hope and joy.   It's just too bad that the world needs a tragedy and remarkable rescue to come together like this, and that in a short time the feeling of togetherness and hope will disappear.  

But in spite of the wonderful rescue, we should not overlook the fact that this tragedy should never have happened and the incredible rescue should not have been needed.   This was an over-produced and unsafe mine and had only one way to get in and out of it.   There should have not only been a second way in and out, but the mine should have been closed until it was shown to be safe.   Neither of those things happened, and that is a crime -- a crime that can be attributed to greed.

I'm not trying to pick on Chile.   There are unsafe mines all over the world, including here in the United States.   They are unsafe because their corporate owners consider making ever-larger profits more important than the lives of the workers they employ.   And there are politicians willing to let those corporate owners ignore or short-circuit mine safety.   A perfect example is a current senate candidate in West Virginia who has campaigned on opposing government safety standards for mines.

My hope is that this miracle being witnessed tonight will bring forward a new will to demand and establish adequate safety standards for all types of mines -- both in this country and elsewhere.   It is time that everyone recognize that corporate profits are not more important than human lives.   Greed should never trump life -- not in mines or in any other type of work environment.

I hope that will be the case, but I don't really expect it will be so.   For years now this country (and much of the world) has been in the grip of an ever-greedier corporatocracy, and those who run the giant national and international corporations are concerned only with larger salaries, dividends and bonuses.   Human lives and fines for safety violations are nothing more than a cost of doing business to them.   We have watched them ignore dire scientific warnings of man-made global climate change.   Why should we expect them to care about the lives of their employees when they show so little care about the entire planet?

That's what I think.   I hope I'm wrong, but so far I've seen no evidence of that.