What does Kim Kardashian Have in Common With Chile Miner 33? Maybe Only the Number 69 and a Few Cans of Tuna

The headlines this week are generating almost equal interest between Kim Kardashian’s recent “bare all” photo shoot for W magazine, and the inspiring rescue of the 33 Chile Miners.   So I started wondering if they have anything in common besides the number 69 and a diet of tuna.  It was a dead end.  The only similarity I could uncover is that they both are “in crisis.”

The headline on the cover of W Magazine reads, “It’s all about me.  I Mean You. I mean me.”   I read an excerpt from the article http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/12/kim-kardashian-takes-it-all-off-for-w-magazine/?hpt=Sbin, and it revealed a young woman full of contradictions and confusion.

“…when I’m up on the table dancing, it’s for the picture,” she says. “Then I sit right back down. I play into the perception of me, but it’s not really me.”

Her words left me wondering…”well then, who is she?”  Why does she continually feel compelled to live up to an image rather than be who she is?   Why is she really doing this?  How different would her life be if she was authentic and took a stand in this world for “the real Kim?” 

It is a pity that a girl, who has all the resources and connections she needs to do something really great with her life, seems so lost and disconnected.  To me, that is a crisis—one of identity.

Photo Credit: Fox News

In stark contrast to her narcissistic and misguided behavior, I witnessed the live coverage of Chile Miner 33 emerging from the depths of the earth to a standing ovation and warm hugs.

  He was congratulated by the President of Chile and finally reunited with his family. 

Miner 33 was a hero.  In a time of crisis, he immediately assumed the leadership role and organized the men, the supplies and the living situation with selfless authority.   “We will either live together or die together, and this is how we will do it,” he supposedly said to his fellow men.  He was “the rock” that led them through 69 days of darkness, terror, uncertainty, fear, boredom, frustration and agony, living on nothing more than milk and a few spoons of canned tuna each day. 

Miner 33 was “in his power” because in that moment of crisis he made it his sole mission to hold the men together, emotionally and physically.  He was true to himself and in that state, found new strength and courage and was able to change the course of 32 other men and their families.  That is an astounding accomplishment!

Leaders born from tragedy have always fascinated me.  The power of the human spirit to overcome all odds is an amazing and unexplainable phenomenon.  Crisis separates the wheat from the chafe.  It is how we act in a crisis that indicates our true character.  Fortunately, most of us get many chances in life to “be tested” by how we act during crisis.  I have had my fair share of failures in this regard. 

So many people are in crisis at the moment, lost and seemingly without hope.  If we can take a moment to remember that crisis presents an opportunity for exponential growth, then maybe we can shape a more positive outcome and make better choices for ourselves.

For now, it seems that the only thing miner 33 and Kim Kardashian have in common is a number and their diet.  In the future, if she chooses to be true to herself, she may have a similar profound impact.  We ALL can, if we choose to take a stand for our authentic self.  That is the power of the human spirit.

God Bless You, Miner 33!  Welcome Home. 

P.S. 

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