Humanity at its finest
As horrific as it was, the Thai cave rescue’s dramatic conclusion last week reminded us that the world is a good place
Last week’s extraordinary rescue of 12 young soccer players and their coach from monsoonflooded caves in Thailand will be one of the defining stories of this generation. It had all the hallmarks of great literature: ill-fated adventure into a cave before sudden floods trap them, a chance discovery by a cave diver, an improbable rescue scenario completed against the odds with international teams working together to save these lives.
You couldn’t make a movie about it that was believable — but of course Hollywood studios are already reportedly working on it.
But, above all, it was the courage shown, both by the boys (who were trapped in darkness for nine days before being found, with little food or water, and then had to scuba-dive out of the caves, many having never swum before) and the rescuers, one of whom died while placing spare oxygen tanks.
It really was a display of humanity at its finest.
The world needed a human triumph like this to remind us how wonderful we are.
It hasn’t been a year to feel good about being alive. Certainly not in SA, where President Cyril Ramaphosa is so trapped by the ANC’S internal squabbling that he can’t effect real change — I’m hoping the word “yet” is still applicable here. It’s bad that the ANC has appointed shysters such as Ace Magashule secretary-general, convicted fraudster Tony Yengeni head of its anti-corruption group and former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo head of its political school. To say these three men are disgraced is to understate the point.
The Thai cave rescue became the biggest thing in the world, despite the World Cup in Russia. It concluded just in time for our new local hero Kevin Anderson’s own herculean efforts to make the Wimbledon final.
What a performance, in both the quarterfinal and semifinal, that has written our new “marathon man” into the history books.
We just need to be reminded occasionally — as we were when Ramaphosa won the ANC’S internal elections — that our country, and the world, can be a better place, the kind of place Nelson Mandela envisaged.
The cave rescue was also a reminder of what technology is ideally suited to certain events. TV is still the best way to follow a breaking story like this, with its scary visuals of caves.
I found myself in front of a TV on many occasions with family — or strangers at restaurants and in shopping centres — watching in wonder. It unfolded, as news does, on Twitter, through mobile news apps, short video clips and those all-important infographic explanations of winding underwater tunnels.
It’s back to the grindstone this week, but what an uplifting demonstration of humanity, our inherent goodness and our willingness to do good things for others.