Solidarity lived

Since moving to Argentina eight months ago, the concept of solidarity has been a major part of my life. This is not only because I currently volunteer in an NGO but also because it is a very important part in Argentine culture, showing solidarity with others.

Last weekend I experienced this solidarity first hand. With a large group of people I went trekking in one of the mountain ranges of the province of Córdoba. It was a three day trek up to the peak and back to the base and everything went well until the very last moments. When we arrived at the base after three long and exhausting days we realized that one of the girls from our group was missing. We all hardly knew each other but all who were still there when it turned out that she was missing stayed to look for her. One of the guys even needed a picture so he would know who the missing girl was, that is how little he knew her, but he still stayed to help. Some of the guys went back into the mountains in the dark to look for her and all of us went to the police and stayed in touch to provide as much information to the rescue teams as possible. These were the longest 48 hours ever for most of us, without neither much sleep nor eating.

When I asked some of the people why they stayed behind to help and search for the missing girl when they did not even know her, the answer was always the same: out of solidarity. It was just the right thing to do. Even if they did not know her, she had been part of our group and in the end she was a human being that needed help. And that was all that mattered.

This was the first time ever for me that I was involved in such a situation and it left a deep impression on me. I am grateful to have experienced this surge of solidarity in people who had not even known each other before this event, this example of human compassion when others need help. I hope that I will never ever have to experience a time like this but should anything like this ever occur again, no matter where in the world, then I hope that the people affected will show the same solidarity as my Argentinean mates have shown these last days.

If there is another human being in danger then it should not matter to us how well we know them or if we like them or not or where they are from or if they brought the dangerous situation upon themselves by being incautious or not. All that matters at that moment is to help that person. An invaluable lesson I learnt these days and a lesson that I will never forget.