FRUSTRATED MINERS

Extreme circumstances tend to awaken the darker elements of human nature, and the Chilean mining ordeal was no exception. During those first 17 days underground, the men split into three factions, each with its own designated leader and sleeping territory. They squabbled over pieces of cardboard that they used as mattresses, and a few arguments reportedly escalated into fistfights (CBS News/Associated Press, 2010, October 16; Franklin, 2011). But the same life-or-death situations that elicit what is most ugly about humankind can also summon what is most beautiful—our ability to feel compassion, to comfort and support one another, and to sacrifice personal needs for the benefit of the group. In the case of Los 33, the beautiful triumphed over the ugly.

The men were able to move beyond their personal disputes and see the big picture. They realized that banding together was the only sensible way to endure. Like players on a team, they began to assume special roles and responsibilities. The “pastor” José Henríquez led the group in regular prayers; the “electrician” Edison Peña cobbled together a bootleg lighting system; and the “doctor” Yonny Barrios drew from the knowledge of medicine he learned while caring for his sick mother. The miners selected two very different yet complementary leaders: the foreman Luis Urzúa and a second unofficial leader named Mario Sepúlveda. Formerly known as “El Loco” or the “Crazy One,” Sepúlveda once pole-danced on the bus the miners daily rode, sending them into fits of laughter. Now they looked to him for strength and inspiration (Franklin, 2011).

To break the monotony of their subterranean existence, the miners coordinated their daily activities, starting their morning with a prayer, holding a midday “townhall” meeting where they voted democratically on all major decisions, and praying again in the afternoon. When it was time for their daily meal, they gathered like a family, politely waiting to eat until all 33 members had been served (Franklin, 2011).

The men experienced their share of psychological meltdowns during those first 17 days, but they found comfort in the bonds of brotherhood. “We were like a family,” said Samuel Ávalos. “When someone falls, you pick them up” (Franklin, 2011, p. 103). And like very close family members, they could almost feel each other’s pain. “I was more worried about my companions,” said Ávalos, referring to the younger men who had just started to raise families. “They had little babies, pregnant wives. That broke me…. To see my compañeros cry and cry” (p. 109).

THINK again

What’s in a Number?

When news broke that Los 33 were alive and well, Chile erupted in celebration (Reuters, 2010, August 22). News of the trapped miners was headlined, broadcast, and tweeted across the globe. It was difficult to believe that all 33 men had survived the rockfall and endured 17 days in a sweltering hole with no food or clean water—and done so with honor and dignity. Some said it was testament to the goodness of the human spirit. Others called it a miracle of God. Still others pointed to the mystical nature of numerology, which attempts to provide explanations for a variety of events and observations. The number 33, which numerologists consider a “master healer” (Culbertson, 2009, October 15), was thought to play an important role in the rescue of the Chilean miners. Here is some of the “evidence” presented to support this claim (AFP, 2010, October 13; freedomflores, 2010, October 18; The Vigilant Citizen, 2010, October 14):

• There were 33 miners.
• They sent up a note saying, “Estamos bien en el refugio los 33.” This statement contains 33 characters and spaces.
• The eventual rescue date was 10/13/10; the sum of these digits equals 33.
• Drilling the rescue tunnel took 33 days, and the width of the rescue tunnel was said to be 66 centimeters, which is 33 times two.

Are you detecting a pattern? Anyone can draw a connection or find a pattern if they try hard enough, and these patterns do not necessarily represent a unifying theory or provide a scientific explanation. They are just coincidences.

LO 6     Evaluate pseudopsychology and its relationship to critical thinking.

S.Harris/Cartoonstock.

from the pages of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

Murder, She Wrote

A new study adds “writing with large strokes and applying high pressure on paper” to the list of telltale signs that someone might be lying. Researchers at Haifa University in Israel could tell whether or not students were writing the truth by analyzing these physical properties of their handwriting.

Lying requires more cognitive resources than being truthful, says lead author Gil Luria. “You need to invent a story, make sure not to contradict yourself, etcetera.” Any task done simultaneously, therefore, becomes less automatic. Tabletop pressure sensors showed this effect in the students’ handwriting, which became more belabored when they fibbed.

Handwriting analysis could eventually complement other lie detection methods and would add a new dimension because, unlike almost all other techniques, it doesn’t rely on verbal communication, Luria says.

Nicole Branan. Reproduced with permission. Copyright © 2010 Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.

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