World watches, shares the joy

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Most of us are lucky enough to find moments of joy in our personal lives. The birth of a child. A new job. Falling in love.

Seldom does the world share a moment of joy equal to that felt this week as, one after the other, 33 Chilean miners emerged after 69 days trapped beneath the ground.

We celebrate their endurance and that of their loved ones. We celebrate the international ingenuity and feverish work that drilled the shaft, that created the rescue capsule, that showed the world the resilience of humankind.

Much as we decry the instant news mentality that has cable television traipsing from one celebrity scandal to the next, it was that same technology that opened the struggle, and the celebration, to the world. Chile knew the world was watching and, to its credit, let us watch. It was the best kind of reality television because it was real and dangerous, and no one knew how it would end.

It also makes you wonder how a similar drama might have played out in China or Myanmar or North Korea.

The monumental rescue effort, too, has underscored the value we place on human life. The ordeal may, at long last, help create a groundswell for safer mines around the world. Mining operations where safety is just as important as production and profit.

Many stories and analyses will follow the amazing drama that climaxed on Wednesday. But for now, this is something we can all feel good about, at least for a little while.