And now their souls have been psychedelicized or, you know, cosmically fulfilled in some perfect way.

Life is an endless valley of pain, struggle, boredom and torment, broken up by little moments (occasional, relatively brief) of peace, chuckles, solace and euphoria. All of that is now over for the five men whose lives ended a few days ago aboard the Titan. There is, at least, that finality. All things come to an end. Every last living thing on this planet (myself included) will face such a moment.

Are the five bodies recoverable? The depth where they died — nearly 12,000 feet down — is “a very unforgiving environment,” a Coast Guard spokesperson has just said. The bodies were certainly subjected to a sudden and intense increase in pressure so use your imagination. I’m very sorry but at least it was quick.

Stockton Rush, the founder and chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operated the submersible, is the principal bad guy here. There’s no other rational conclusion.

June 22, 2023by Jeff Wells20 Comments