Hierarchy Attributed to Helping Chile Miners Survive
According to NASA psychologists, part of what helped the trapped miners survive was the establishing of a hierarchy among themselves, including roles such as “spiritual leader, food manger, team leader, shift supervisor, secretary, reporter, ” etc….
I leaped off the couch when I heard this report as we watched the incredible rescue, and yelled, “someone give me a pen and paper”. Nobody else really caught the sentence, but it jumped out at me.
“Incredibly, the miners had established a hierarchy among themselves in the 17 days before they were found. The Chilean officials are supporting that hierarchy and leadership, which the NASA team also commended.”
The psychologist went on to say they see similar behavior anytime there is a group of people depending on each other for survival….people on a mission. And get his, one psychologist said, “When the people in the group submit to that hierarchy they do better physically and emotionally.”
Hierarchy in real life is NOT a popular concept. We have successfully repressed the idea that there is any need for one person to oversee another in any form (except an employer/employee relationship).
But a life crisis reveals something very telling of human nature: we need order and yes, hierarchy.
The roles that the men played “down under” did not diminish the value of any of them. I doubt one of them came up from that cave feeling resentful or “second-rate”. It happened quite naturally. No one was balking at the idea of hierarchy.
Why do we?
It reminds me of a family! On a mission, surviving through life’s crises. Only in a family, God establishes the perfect hierarchy where He is supreme leader.
Just thought it was an interesting observation.
I stood talking with a woman at the checkout and her 5-year-old was climbing first up her leg, then squealing, then dropping to the floor, still holding her mother’s arms, jerking her downward, demanding to be picked up, running round and round while the mother’s face grew more tense, trying to focus on our conversation–both of us attempting to ignore the giant elephant of this demanding child.
“My husband won’t take me on walks.”















