Life in the 21st Century

Here I sit in Minnesota at my computer. I have two windows open. The one I am writing this post in and a live feed from Terra, a Latin American TV channel from Chile showing what is happening at the mine as they get ready to start bringing up the 33 trapped miners.

From the day they found the miners alive and then lowered a TV camera down until today we have been kept informed. Now, at 9:17 CT the rescuer is in the pod and ready to be lowered.

Wow. There he goes. And as the President told him the luck of the world goes with him.

9:35 - The capsule and the rescuer has arrived in the mine. Smiles, cheers, hugs.

It is amazing, I say again and again. The ways we have been able to communicate and connect the world. It wasn't all that long ago that we would have not been able to see this until film or tape was transmitted or transported. Yet today we can watch it live on a computer screen.

9:50 The first miner, Florencio Ávalos, is in the capsule. His family has gone to the rescue area to greet him.

9:54 He is coming to the surface, the pulley moves, the capsule begins a slow ascent with the flag of Chile there to be seen.

Now, watching the wheel turn, the cable pulling the capsule with Florencio to the surface. The family stands expectantly after 69 days separated. Life will certainly be different for all of them. That wheel turning will be a recurring memory of this rescue.

I am grateful that the TV commentator has given a lot of quiet time just to absorb what is happening.

10:10 They have pulled the pulley mechanism up. The moment is close. The son stands with his eyes wide. Applause. He is there! Tears and hugs and cheers.

What a moment. It may be these moments of connection that someday may help us all see how interconnected we are- or can be.

10:19- El Presidente Sebastián Piñera acaba de escribir en su Twitter: "Que emocion! Que felicidad! Que orgullo de ser Chileno! Y que gratitud con Dios!"Twitter feed from the Chilean president expressing the emotion, joy and pride of the Chilean people. And gratitude to God.

10:26 The capsule starts down again. It will be many hours- more than a day- before all the men are back and then the rescuers who have gone down with the capsule. It is quite a humbling time. I know I could not do what the miners do.

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Over at BoingBoing, Xeni Jardin had this to say, live blogging like I was:

I can't imagine what it's like for the trapped miners, but man, what must be going on in the mind of the paramedics/rescuers they're sending down into the mine? What kind of strength must someone have to enter that tiny rescue shaft to drop half a mile down towards the center of Earth?

There is much work to do, but for tonight, the hope is real and, perhaps resurrection is not too strong a word.