As I was scanning my Google Reader feeds in class yesterday, something soon stood out to me. I immediately emailed it to myself, in fear that I would not find it again. The article was called Trapped Chilean Miners' Families Feud on Surface by CBS news. I of course already knew about the miners plight, of how they are trapped in an underground mine shaft, and how they will continue to be trapped until at least Christmas. It turns out however, that many more problems are arising from the miners situation than that they are stuck underground in horrible conditions. For many of their families, those men are the main source of income. With them unable to work, their relatives have to survive without that money. That is not the end though. With donations, aid, and the miner” August paycheck coming in, the miner’s families are left on the surface to squabble over who gets what.
When I first read the article, I was struck by how petty it seemed. How could families argue over who gets the spoils based on petty feuds, while their beloved sits in a cave 2,300 feet below? However, after thinking it through I reconsidered. How can I judge those people while sitting at my computer halfway around the world? I don’t know them, nor do I understand the reasons behind their conflicts. Perhaps one relative truly is more deserving, or more in need of those donations? I cannot be fit to judge, so I will not. It might seem strange, for me to not have an opinion, but that is how I feel. Should the much needed aid go to the deserving? Should it be evenly split? What if some family member deeply wronged the rest, but needs help more than any other? I do not think I have lived long enough, or have enough experience in such things to have any say in the matter.
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