I didn't pay much attention when news broke on the 12 young Thai boys who became trapped in a cave with their coach. Another silly excursion fueled by youthful exuberance, I thought. Soon these boys and their coach would walk out of the cave to camera flashes. Was für ein Foto-Op!
As days continued without the 13 being found, I started to realize that perhaps the boys and their coach were trapped far deeper into the cave. News reported that they could have been trapped by water at the cave entrance, hence they were unable to walk out themselves. With the impending monsoon season, the boys had to be found quick.
After news reported that specialist cave divers had found all 12 boys and their coach on Mon, tears nearly came to my eyes, especially when I found out that their coach was 25 years old. This 25-year old had the resiliance and wits around him to keep his young charges all safe and alive. And all the 12 young boys had held up pretty well mentally in the constant darkness in the cave. That blew my mind away. How many 25-year olds can do that?
What further blew my mind away was the farmers' response to their fields being flooded with muddy water pumped out from the cave. One farmer, whose fields are now submerged and ducks wiped out by the water was quoted as saying that 'with the farming, we can make money again, but 13 lives are not something we can create.' He was proud of his small but significant contribution to the rescue of the 13 still trapped in the cave.
Sadly, an ex-Navy diver died from lack of oxygen during the rescue operation, underscoring the urgency to bring the 13 out of the cave before oxygen level further decreases in the cave and the heavy rain starts.
This story has been gripping, and I believe stirs much more positive emotions in people that the Trump-Kim Gipfel had.
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