It has been my understanding that when people are left together in confined spaces with diminishing resources, they turn on each other. To quote political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (a first on ArchBlog) life in scenarios such as this can get "nasty, brutish and short." Hobbes has a point. I've seen children cry for hours when the air hostess refuses them a 12th Coke or extra bag of pretzels on long-haul flights.
But the 33 Chilean miners trapped in their subterrainian sweatbox are displaying a remarkable togetherness that is as surprising as it is inspiring. The situ down there in the lava locker room (c) seems to be a long way from the self-interested bedlam one might expect. No, the miners (who I have enormous respect for) are taking 'colleague' to a whole new level. This team is built. In their own words: "We have everything organized ... We plan, we have assemblies here everyday so that all the decisions we make are based on the thoughts of all 33."
So, what's the conclusion? Maybe humans aren't intrinsically bad eggs. Or maybe Chilean men just love nothing more than playing uninterupted dominoes with their best buddies.
Watch the first vid rescued from the cave-in shelter here ...
Vid via Associated Press
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