CHILE went to great lengths to use the images of the successful rescue of the trapped miners to showcase the country as one of wealth, compassion and technical skill. My eyes were riveted on CNN, and when they started playing Bob Marley’s One Love upon seeing the 14th Chilean miner to be rescued from 2,000 feet below the Earth’s surface, my thoughts returned, naturally, to my beloved country. I began to imagine what the differences would be between the Chilean story and our story were such a near-tragic event to occur here.

It would not be a pretty moment, for God knows it’s hard enough for the local authorities to organise the repair of two blocks on Barbican Road, or protect the lives of people who live two inches away from a gully — all above-ground activities, mind you — let alone save the lives of 33 people trapped 2,000 feet underground. You can “fahget” it.

The Chilean miners divided up the chores, sang and told jokes in the dark and never gave up hope – supporting each other throughout the ordeal. Much of what the 33 Chilean miners did to survive their 69-day ‘entombment’ required improvisation, to keep them active and optimistic, even in the days when it was unclear whether they would ever see the light of day again. The survival story of the Chilean miners is a powerful lesson in courage, faith, resilience and teamwork — a lesson we could stand to learn here.

But we don’t traditionally pay much attention to lessons, and so we’re part of the problem too. We’re such a dissonant, crab-in-a-barrel bunch that if 33 of us ever found ourselves trapped underground, a far fewer number would survive the ordeal.

I heard some frightening words from the mouth of a policeman who watched much of the recovery activities. This particular policeman – a man who has sworn to protect the life and limb of every Jamaican citizen – felt no qualms about yelling across the room that: “Me woulda haffi be de fuss one fi get inna de kyapsool.” No lie. Dare I venture to guess that if asked why he came up first, he would say: “Well, I was fired upon down below, and in responding to their fire power, all the other members of the group were, unfortunately, killed.”

The Jamaican policeman works in similar sub-human conditions like the Chilean miner. They both work for salaries that often don’t extend to the end of the month and endure gruelling days in conditions that endanger their lives.

The employment situation in Jamaica is in a dire state, we know. We often wonder what we’re working so hard for. As workers suffering from lack of resources, low pay, and unsympathetic higher-ups and HR departments, we’ve become so dispassionate about our work and about company loyalty that were the capsule to be sent down to collect some of us, on the appointed day at the appointed time we might hear from 2,000 feet below: “Sorry, can’t make it. It’s my day off.” No lie. It’s a distinct possibility.

It is said that unity helped the men, known as “los 33”, survive for 69 days underground, including more than two weeks when no one knew whether they were alive. The operation showed the world the power of unity in overcoming a challenge. I am hard-pressed to find a similar local story. But whatever the differences between worker and leadership styles and available resources of the two countries, there is much that we Jamaicans have in common with the Chileans.

Whatever the Chilean translation is for “I gwine kill ‘im!”, I’m sure that phrase was heard over and over at Camp Hope, for the authorities there had to deal with the logistical nightmare of trying to keep apart all the women who came forward claiming to be the legitimate partners of the men below (some in order to receive government handouts) and who all wanted to send messages to the men.

Some women turned up at the camp to discover that their partners already had a wife and children whom they knew nothing about. Some women had to be pulled apart before things got physical. At least five wives came face to face with mistresses whose existence was kept from them by their husbands. And one miner had four women fighting over him in an effort to claim compensation: His first wife whom he never divorced, his live-in partner, the mother of a child he had several years ago, and a woman who claimed to be his current girlfriend.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? No wonder they played ‘Bob’. One love, indeed.