When This Is All Over
by Jim Greer
LW contributor
When the election is over and the banners and yard signs have come down, will we have a more civil society? When the pandemic has subsided and we’re no longer living under CDC-recommended restrictions, will all suffering end? Who will we be when this is all over?
On Aug. 5, 2010, part of the San Jose copper mine in northern Chile collapsed underground, turning 33 men into prisoners. These Chilean miners became a symbol of hope and solidarity, surviving for more than two months after being trapped deep below the Atacama desert.
The news reports told how it took 17 days to find them still alive nearly 2,000 feet below the surface. It was another 52 days before we saw them hoisted to safety through a narrow hole.
For the first 17 days of their ordeal, they survived on two spoons of tuna and a half-glass of milk every 48 hours, living in the humid darkness in temperatures up to 95 degrees. They exemplified the resolve and discipline to survive, so much so that they still had two cans of tuna remaining when brought to the surface.
“One of the things that helped us the most was humor. Even in the worst moments, we laughed. We had a great time down there. We sang, we daydreamed, we made democratic decisions, and no one went overboard,” recalled survivor Mario Sepulveda.
Under the pressures of a contentious general election on top of the daunting restrictions of the pandemic, we feel buried under a heavy layer of anxiety, wondering when we will once again return to the surface.
Like the Chilean miners, the key to our survival and rescue will be maintaining a sense of humor, living democratically and ensuring that no one goes haywire.
All our resolve and discipline will be needed if we intend to implement the lessons we have learned during this experience. Once we reach the surface again, we must live peacefully and support one another as we all adapt to the new normal, whatever that may be.
Martin Luther King Jr., the venerated civil rights leader who overcame the most challenging opposition, recalled, “As my sufferings mounted, I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation—either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”
We, as survivors of 2020, have the same choice as Dr. King. We can react with bitterness, as many have already, or we can live joyfully and transform our suffering into a creative force.
We are blessed to have seen this creative force already in our community. Service and religious organizations and caring neighbors have sewn and donated thousands of facemasks, contributed funds and food, shared words of love and compassion with those who suffer.
We needn’t wait until the election and pandemic are over to act. We must resolve now to transform our present anxiety and suffering into forces of compassion, creativity and caring.
