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Two of my pet peeves are those "reality-TV" shows that focus on getting rid of your teammates in order to get the prize and the unending rash of commercials that in recent years sanctify the notion of self-centeredness. The successful Pennsylvania miners' rescue effort gave me an opportunity to express my opinion on the matter via a letter to the editor, which was published on the editorial pages of the August 1, 2002 edition of the Chicago Sun-Times and the August 7, 2002 edition of the Chicago Tribune. In this month's column, I'll first share that letter and then tell you about an Internet journey that I embarked upon using the keywords "survival" and "survival techniques."

First the letter:

Rescue Offers a Lesson in Teamwork

The real-life drama of the successful rescue of nine trapped miners in Pennsylvania needs to be contrasted to phony "real-life" TV shows like "Survivor" and the deluge of commercials that tout activities like hiding the Pepperidge Farm cookies from the rest of the family and throwing your best friend to the bears in order to save the beer. The miners, their rescuers, their families, and the people of Pennsylvania are the real models of survival. They show us that it is not about survival of the strongest at the expense of the weak or about the power of selfishness and self-centeredness. It is not about being the last survivor in the jungle or the desert island or in a mine deep in bowels of the earth. It is about teamwork. It is about sticking together and looking out for the other guy. It is about an altruistic and unconditional love that knows that in order to survive, we must all care about and work with one another.

The Pennsylvania rescue effort both above and below the ground should serve as a guide to how we as humans can survive, not only during a crisis, but also within families, communities, our nation, and the world. The lessons of Pennsylvania are many. They include nine men who took turns warming up near the heated fresh air shaft and who tied themselves together so that no one would get separated and, perhaps, die alone. They include a diary farmer who agreed without a second thought to having his pastureland ripped asunder. It is about a whole community who came together to help and to pray.

These are the types of lessons that need to be studied and then used as templates for education. And perhaps they will be. Not long ago, the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love (www.unlimitedlove institute.org) was established at the Medical School of Case Western Reserve University. Devoted to progress in the scientific understanding and practice of such other-regarding virtues as altruism, compassion, and service, the Institute is in the process of awarding research grants that focus on the positive states of psychological health and personality. This research is a break from the currently pervasive emphasis in science on negative human traits.

The Pennsylvania rescue effort is replete with positive human traits, perfect material, I would think, for one of the Institute's scientific studies. But even if the scientists don't study this effort, the rest of us should. And perhaps we are. If a comp-arison was made between the T.V. ratings of the "Survivor" show and the rescue effort, I have no doubt that the real-life survivors of Pennsylvania would win out--and so, therefore, would the rest of us.

And Now the Journey

I thought it would be interesting to plug in the words "survivor" and "survival techniques" into a search engine like Google.com. I was not surprised to find that many of the sites--especially those geared toward the U.S. population--focused almost exclusively on the survival of the individual. I was surprised, however, by the fact that so few of the sites address the concepts of teamwork and community survival. It's not that all of the individual survival sites are bad. It is important, after all, to know what to do if you are stranded and alone in the wilderness or other dangerous situation. But why are inter-relationship skills almost totally avoided?

Sites like Survival Guide (www.surival-center.com/guide/intro.htm), for example, emphasize self-reliance and offer the basics about food, water, and shelter. There is the promise of addressing group or community dynamics under the heading of "Adding Others to Your Plan." However, that topic apparently is still in the construction stage since it is, as yet, not hyperlinked to an information page. The site, Common Sense Survival Guides (http://members.tripod.com/~Sidlinger/), includes separate guides for surviving everything from "Avalanches" to "Terrorist Threats." There is no guide for working with a group. There is a guide entitled "Personal Qualities." This guide lists things like "being as self sufficient as possible" and "being able to live with yourself." The closest it gets to addressing inter-personal relationships is this piece of advice: "Being able to "figure out" other people; to understand and predict what other people will do."

There were a few bright site-locations that I encountered as I traveled along the Internet highway. Here is a sampling:

Survival International (www.surival-international.org/): This site is devoted to the survival of tribal peoples throughout the world. The organization, created in 1969, emphasizes the power of communal-type activities with this statement: "We believe that public opinion is the most effective force for change. Its power will make it harder, and eventually impossible, for governments and companies to oppress tribal peoples." Those of us who value Native American and shamanistic spirituality should definitely take note. It is not enough to participate as an individual in this type of spirituality—especially when the very survival of those peoples is in doubt. Those of us that really care about the spiritual gifts of our indigenous brothers and sisters will also do something to aid their survival causes. This site provides one of those ways.

Chickadees and Their Winter Survival Techniques (www.gerbrant.com/matthew/chickadees.htm): This site demonstrates a lesson from our wild feathered friends. Under the heading "Communal Roosting," it notes that "it has been reported that chickadees can turn their highly social nature into a survival tactic. During the long winter nights, chickadees reportedly group together in logs and cavities...in order to conserve heat."

Survival Training (www.countryandhighland.co.uk/survival.html): Most survival training schools emphasis individual survival. This one in England, however, recognizes the importance of both individual and communal skills. The second paragraph of their homepage, for example, states, "our survival courses have strong team and individual character building elements, and students learn not only a great deal about survival but also about themselves and their ability to interact with others." This is how all survival courses should be run.

Pen Pal Basic Survival Techniques (www.conic.net/maledicta/penpal_basic.html): This is a site about surviving in the pen, as in penitentiary or prison. And hey, guess what? Some of the most valuable inter-relationship lessons that I found on my Internet journey were found right here. According to this site, basic prison survival techniques include advice like realizing that "you'll be a prisoner like all the others" and not being "your cold, snotty, domineering self." Another piece of prisoner advice: "Always be respectful and polite to other prisoners, regardless of how weird they may act or dress. First, because you don't know who or what they are, and second, because respect and personal dignity are the most valued possessions left to a prisoner." Hmmm... Sounds like this site has advice that can be applied to the survival of us all.

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Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford is currently studying for a Master's Degree with an emphasis on inter-religious studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary and is in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com

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