Fifty years ago, in October 1972, an airplane chartered by an Uruguayan amateur rugby team crashed in the Andes Mountains. There were 45 passengers; 12 died from the impact and many others after an avalanche. Once the few survivors learnt that the search had been called off, they decided they would have to find a way out on their own. It was a piece of good news, although it might sound paradoxical. Seventy two days after the accident, they were finally rescued, when Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa ran into a Chilean farmer who called for help. And the “Tragedy” turned into a “Miracle”. The key to this “happy ending” was team work, having a strategy, and finding their own inner strength to overcome so many obstacles and hardships, instead of relying on some out of the blue savior.
I somehow link this story to our current extremely critical situation in Argentina. There’s a powerful lesson there. I believe we should all join forces, despite our ideological differences. If we don`t, there will be no miracle, no hope, no survival, but a tragic and deadly crash. This is no time for ego trips or political selfishness. It’s now or never, guys, before it’s too late.
Buenos Aires Times, July 2, 2022