Cave boys remind us we’re OK

Led by their coach, 12 teen and preteen boys making up a soccer team called the Wild Boars entered Thailand’s extensive Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex on June 23 to do some spelunking, despite it being monsoon season. They didn’t come out.

Search and rescue teams hunted for the group, whose belongings were found close to the cave’s entrance. Divers battled vicious floodwaters to find the boys. The worst was feared.

On July 2, the group was found alive about 2 ½ miles from the cave entrance. They’d become trapped when the rain caused cave passages to flood. Food and oxygen were brought to the boys and their coach. But getting them through the flooded passages, with more rain set to come, looked more than daunting.

Thankfully, though, all the boys and their coach were rescued Tuesday.

This is a story that is truly memorable not just because of the amazing rescue efforts, but because of the multiple life lessons/ reminders it carries with it.

A few that have come to mind:

■ Getting into tough situations is usually a quick and easy thing. Getting out of them can be lengthy and difficult.

Going 2½ miles into a cave system whose passages get quite narrow in places didn’t look like a good idea even if monsoon season had not been upon them. But then, look at how easy it is to get into such tough to-get-out-of situations as debt or addiction, and how extrication, if it occurs, can take years. This story is a classic warning to look before one leaps, to count the cost, to beware of any urge, internal or external, that may include the opening words, “Oh, it’s just … ”

■ There are people who care.

There’s no way those participating in the massive search for the group, the intricate, international effort to rescue them, and their medical care could ever be compensated monetarily for their efforts. There’s no way life can be restored to the rescue diver who died from running out of oxygen after delivering it to the trapped group. While battling problems in what sometimes seems a cruel world, it can be tempting to give in to the belief that no one cares for us unless we miss a payment. But some of us would be surprised to know the number of people who are genuinely willing to give the occasional helping hand without expecting anything in return.

■ Bringing a problem on ourselves doesn’t mean forfeiting a chance at rescue.

Sure, there are those who are giving the boys’ young coach the business for leading them into such grave danger. But not one time did any rescuers say, “Hey, we’re

gonna leave the coach in that cave to think about his monumentally dumb decision.” No, they wanted him out of there too. If we didn’t look before

we leapt, if we didn’t count the costs, then we may have to suffer some consequences. But not only are there people who care, some have formed agencies and support groups to help us get to the light at the end of our own flooded tunnels. Even if we wandered

into those tunnels foolishly. ■ The way out of a situation may not only be difficult, it may seem overwhelming.

None of the ways to rescue the group sounded ideal. The boys were neither swimmers nor divers. Rescuers faced teaching the boys to dive. The route out of the cave was said to be about 11 football fields long, would take hours to complete and would be treacherous because of extremely narrow passages. After the death of the rescue team member, the situation seemed especially dire. The other alternative: Wait until the end of monsoon season. That would have meant the boys and their coach would be

stranded until October, during which time floodwaters might overtake them. Rescuers decided on the former scenario, with two divers assigned to each boy, a thin line attaching the boy to one of the divers and his oxygen tank being held in front of him as he was escorted through the narrow areas.

The way out of our own tough situations may be down, dirty and dignity-robbing. But it’s important to remember that we are not alone, the ends make up for the means and our rescue may be just the inspiration for someone else.

■ Tough situations cause us to value what we once took for granted.

I’d be willing to bet that these boys will most likely have an enhanced appreciation for open air, sunlight and beds to sleep on. Once we’re out of difficult situations, we can so much more appreciate those simple pleasures we once overlooked or eschewed as we reached for the things that brought those situations on. ■ Seeing how tough others may have it can cause our own dilemmas to shrink to Ant-Man size by comparison.

First, pardon me for this reference to a rap song whose lyrics aren’t exactly dowager’s-tea-party fare. Second, if you’ve got 99 problems but being trapped 2½ miles in a flooded cave ain’t one, it could be said that life’s good. If you stopped stressing about your own problems long enough to direct prayers toward these boys, bless you.