It might be hard to wrap our heads around what we witnessed in the cold desert of northern Chile this week. The contrasts were stark. On the one hand, 33 miners hopelessly trapped deep in the core of the earth. On the other, a brash and moving display of passion, emotion and patriotism. The courage of the rescuers descending deep into the earth in an untested and risky gambit. The determination of the trapped miners, persevering through tremendous stress in harsh and unthinkable circumstances with strength and discipline.
There is nothing I could write that could capture the experience better than what was shown on televisions and computer screens over twenty-four agonizing and jubilant hours.
Instead, perhaps I could shed some light on the character of the Chilean people. In the mid nineties I spent three weeks travelling through Chile courtesy of very generous hosts, and adopted citizens, Ellen and Victor Hawkins. I returned from the experience transformed by the country and its people.
At the time, Chile was experiencing an incredible economic boom. There was a stability in its government and a sense among the populous that the brightness of its future far outshone an oft-times dark history.
The people are much like the land in which they live. Diverse, dramatic and quietly powerful. Chile is cradled between the breathtaking majesty of the Andes mountains and a massive coastline spanning scorching desert to the north and majestic, fertile land to the south. On my journey I discovered just some of this remarkable land. I stood upon the steep slopes of the towering volcano in Villarrica. I witnessed the stunning coastal resort city of Valparaiso, rising defiantly up cliff-side mountains from the azure shores of the Pacific. I stood at the base of the magnificent waterfall of Salto del Laja. I strode upon the scorching desert beaches, where ocean currents from the south offer sun-beaten swimmers an icy-cold reception. Where cacti and penguins share the same back yard.
Then there is Santiago, a jewel of a city with a cultural diversity not unlike our own. Built in the shadows of the Andes and the coastal mountains, surrounded by vineyards and avocado groves, Santiago is an oasis of modern high-rises and centuries-old architecture. The city is garnished with succulent plants, bright flowered bushes and tall trees. It is rich with history but also contemporary in spirit. It is where the nation's wealth abounds and pockets of abject poverty still persist. It is a mosaic of art, music and cuisine, richly imbued with a unique fusion of traditional, European and American culture.
Chilean history speaks of some very dark times. Perhaps more so than any other nation in the Americas. Understanding the course of this history would require another blog entirely. This history often distracts the observer from seeing the true nature of the Chilean people and so they are often misunderstood. To begin to understand Chileans one must recognize that the capacity of this nation to emerge from its deepest adversity lies largely in the spirit of its people.
Chileans are proud, stoic and not quick to display emotions, unless it is to celebrate. For those of us riveted to our televisions, what might have seemed an over-exuberant display of passion and unabashed patriotism was not pretence, it was genuine.
For a nation that once struggled under the weight of history, it is apropos that the their greatest and most inspiring victory was to rescue its own people, trapped in the darkness, and bring them back to the light.
There are few countries in the world more deserving of this triumph than Chile. For a world so desperate for inspiration, there are few countries who could have provided it any better. A nation literally rocked by tragedy earlier this year, and throughout its history, the Chilean people are tenaciously, joyfully and passionately determined to rise, and rise again.
Watching the events unfold this week, I felt strangely homesick for Chile. A nation and a people much like the namesake of the capsule that plucked lost souls from the depths of the earth to freedom.
A true phoenix.
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