Keep Watching…The Train Wreck is Coming
Wednesday Inspiration
Many years ago, someone was trying to explain to me something I completely and utterly did not understand: the popularity of America’s Next Top Model.
America’s Next Top Model was a reality show in the early 2000s where women would compete for a lucrative modeling position.
I had absolutely zero interest in watching this. And it’s popularity baffled me.
Then, it was explained to me: “It's not about watching the modeling challenges. It's about waiting for the trainwrecks.”
Aha! That was the appeal. These models had been pampered and preened for a long time, and when things didn't go their way, they had complete, emotional, tear-filled meltdowns on camera for everyone to see.
It was all about the schadenfreude.
That conversation opened my eyes. I started to see that this wasn’t an isolated phenomenon. This desire to watch “human trainwrecks” was all around me.
Online videos of biking accidents
The Darwin Awards
The plots of sitcoms
News of politicians, celebrities, and religious figures falling from Grace
It was as if the culture I lived in had become obsessed with finding amusement in the pain and suffering of others.
And worse yet…
I started to notice it in myself.
I became aware that my heart jumped with excitement while watching something tragic happen to a character on TV.
I wondered, “What's going on with me that I would have such a perverse response to human misery?”
I still don't know exactly why people do this, but after reflecting on it for a while, I’ve decided it seems to be natural to the human condition. It’s as if humans like to see other humans suffer.
Which brings me to the big question: How do we turn this desire off?
I think this is where empathy comes in.
When we empathize with others, we connect with their emotional state. While empathizing, we can’t feel good about them feeling bad. Instead, we feel bad along with them.
And, it doesn’t just work for suffering. It also allows us to be genuinely happy for others when they get things that we don’t have.
This week, I encourage you to take some time to strengthen your sense of empathy. When you see someone having fun or struggling, try to connect with them. When you hear someone tell the story of what happened with someone else, do the same for both people.
Ask yourself, “How would I feel if I were in their shoes?”
Empathy is the gateway to compassion.
And, compassion is the holiness of God flowing through us for others.
Peace, Bo
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Shadenfreude????