Don Lucho

For some reason, most likely disappointing student routine, I found myself up after 2am last night. The human drama of the San Jose mine story had grabbed my attention earlier in the day, and it just so happened that I inadvertently returned to the live BBC news streaming just in time to see the culmination of the piece. The last man to exit the mine was the foreman of the shift, 54 year old Luis Urzua. He had held things together down the mine, affectionately and respectfully given the Godfather-esque name "Don Lucho".

It struck me as an iconic moment, rare and worth savouring and considering. The character and charisma of the man is something to be admired; he helped his mother raise his six siblings when his father died at the age of ten, and this leadership and sense of order helped him keep 33 of his colleagues alive. He stepped from the Phoenix shuttle that had taken him from 700m below the ground, and stepped out into the embrace of the President of Chile. It was the classic story of the pauper and the monarch; a billionaire with immense power, whose eyes were brimming over with sheer joy and respect for a menial worker. They exchanged eloquent thank-you's and an extended handshake, and then stood side by side, helmets on hearts as they struck up an emotional rendition of the Chilean national anthem. It was an incredible sight, something to make you question what we see around us today in comfortable situations.

The essence of humanity is often revealed by stripping everything bare, leaving only desperate hope and survival comradeship to shine. Often, when everything else is stripped away like this, there is ensuing chaos, anarchy and human depravity. It is refreshing to see such an uplifting depiction of human resolve against the odds, teamwork and dreams helping to achieve the near impossible. No doubt a movie will be made, and this may reflect negatively on things that happened during those 69 days, but at least on the surface of things (no pun intended), this looks like a heart-warming, conscience-stirring triumph of human nature; and that's something to be thankful and thoughtful about.