> He also helped them by teaching them meditation, so as not to focus on their hunger.

Learning meditation is hard. Learning meditation when you are scared, hungry and in such a bad situation is extra hard.

So if the guy pulled it off with 12 terrorized famished kids for 9 days, he deserves his own temple.

People in general are able of amazing deeds under the threat of death.

Unfortunately it's why we are able to wage war. Was watching a documentary on the Vietnam war the other day and one guy was describing how he felt like an automaton that was focusing only on survival, which kept him from going insane, while another guy was describing how he felt no pain from his bullet injuries while trying to stay alive alone in the jungle for 3 days, only feeling pain after he was rescued.

But yeah, this coach is a hero for sure, I'm so glad they made it out.

The Vietnam War, by Ken Burns?

Watched that episode with the South Vietnam veteran recalling that episode where he was left for dead (literally, by his own allies AND adversaries), crawled through the jungle for 3 days and only then felt the pain and smelled the nasty odor of the rotting flesh.

Not to belittle his accomplishment, but it's the times of great hardship where the search for meaning flourishes. See Viktor Frankl. It is the gift hidden in the horror.

Well, he was a former monk.

He was sent to a monastery when he was 12 and stayed for 10 years.

The coach is the key. His parents passed away when he was young and he was brought up by his grandmother. He was a monk for about 10 years. He taught them how to meditate constantly even during training when the kids couldn't control their temper. This crisis puts the kids into the test, proved the power of meditation and team spirit.

Let's not forget that the coach was the one who led them into the caves in the first place.

Hindsight is 20/20. I guess nobody should ever do anything because it always has a tiny chance to go wrong?

The coach probably didn't even take a wrong decision based on the information available at the time (it isn't rain season yet).

Err, no.

If you plan to enter deep into a huge cave, you check the weather forecast. Rainy season or not. And you don't enter if you see a chance of rain.

He failed on this one, and a man is dead because of it.

Now I'm don't think he should be blamed for it. It would be very unproductive.

But we certainly should make it a cautionary tale.