Amazing 'Wild Boars'
When Rick Stanton and John Volanthen emerged from the murky depths of the Tham Luang cave, the "Wild Boars" football team and their coach must have thought they were seeing mythological creatures from the Black Lagoon.
And why shouldn't they? With their skin-tight body suits, blinding flashlights, tanks of pure oxygen, tubing jutting out in all directions, and full-face masks, Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen could have passed as the offspring of Naga, the giant water serpent that many Thais claim inhabits the caverns of the Mekong River.
That much is obvious. What is not obvious and what has not been talked about at any length in the media is not what the boys and their coach thought of their British rescuers but what the British rescuers thought of the boys and their coach.
No one is questioning the skill, the courage and the ingenuity that went into this which captivated the whole world. That is patently plain to see. In a word, there is no title, no award, no accolade that can properly underscore this triumph of the human spirit, this mesmerising combination of collective unselfishness and individualistic courage.
Still, the outside world must be puzzled. How could the boys and their coach possibly escape even with the assistance of the greatest divers in the world? After all, none of the boys could swim with some being as young as 11 years of age. This is not an easy question to answer but I will take a stab at it.
First, what did Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen see when they found the team? A bunch of snivelling, cowering youngsters and a weak-kneed coach? Hardly. Instead, Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen were met with smiling faces, words of gratitude, and a smattering of broken English. These three features -- smiles, politeness, and the desire to communicate -- are the hallmarks of upcountry Thai children. Just as children were the hallmarks when I first came to Thailand 40 years ago, they are the hallmarks today. Their deep character and cultural traits cannot be overpowered by cell phones.
Second, what did Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen quickly learn about the condition of the team? Surprisingly, the weakest link was not the boys but the coach. Why was this? Why did the coach unhesitatingly give up his food to make sure that the boys stayed strong? Here is where Buddhism kicks in. As a devout Buddhist, the coach believes (1) that all life is suffering and (2) that all life is transitory. From these two tenets come the belief that human life is best governed by "right speech" and "right action". Hence, the Thai coach did not hesitate to sacrifice himself for the sake of the boys.
Third, once the medics did reach the team, they were surprised to find that the boys were not only much stronger than expected but also free of panic. How was this possible? Again, the coach relied on his experience as a Buddhist monk and taught the boys to meditate in order to conserve their energy and maintain an optimistic vision.
Lastly, we have the escape from the cave. Yes, the rescue team performed a superhuman task in preparing for the team's escape. Still, in the final analysis, the question came down to the boys. How could they learn basic swimming in a matter of a couple of days? How could they learn to use the full-face masks and the oxygen? How could they remain calm and not panic?
Again, these are difficult questions to answer, but we must remember what kind of boys we have here. These are boys who are at home in their natural environment. The mountains and the trees and the cave and even predators are part of their everyday life. Sure, they could not swim but that does not mean they could not cope, that they could not adjust to the dangers surrounding them.
In the end, the boys put their lives in the hands of men who were more experienced and more knowledgeable in the ways of the world. And, in the end, the boys, their families, their thousand rescuers, "the Thai volunteer army", and the world came out with a tremendous feeling of love and gratitude.
Let this be a lesson to us all.