Out of sight, Out of mind
Celebrities are often looked at as snobby, self-centered, pampered, rich brats but still we seem to idolize their lavish lifestyles and dream of walking in their shoes. The odds of knowing an actual celebrity personally are slim and no one ever really knows their true person--who they are on the inside unless you're part of the family. So, what causes us to grieve deeply when someone we've never even met dies?
A soldier is someone who is rarely acknowledged for what they do. Along side policemen and firefighters, they literally risk life and limb to keep people safe--people they've never met. True heroes. Children dream of one day being called a hero. So, why are there more kids wanting to be musicians or actors than soldiers or policemen? And why don't we cry when we hear of a soldier dying in Iraq or a firefighter falling to their death?
The recent death of one of my favorite actors, Paul Walker, has triggered different emotions inside me. His sudden tragic and horrific death left me heartbroken and grieving for a man that I've never met and only knew via my television.
Social media sites were bombarded with posts from people remembering Walker and conveying their condolences. Facebook was plastered with his pictures.
Among the posts were people who were angry that an actor was getting so much attention after his death because soldiers, firefighters, and policemen die everyday and all they got was a mention in their local newspaper.
This made me sad for two reasons. 1. These people were right. It is terrible when a soldier fighting to keep all of us safe and alive dies in disturbing and horrific ways and only a handful of people hear about it. 2. These people were also demeaning someone's death as if it didn't mean as much or wasn't worth talking about simply because they didn't fall into their definition of hero.
Death is death regardless of who did the dying. Everyone is someone's father or mother, sister or brother, son or daughter, or even a friend.
In my opinion, the sad truth of why we grieve for one and not the other has to do with out-of-sight-out-of-mind. We don't see a live feed on our televisions of wars soldiers are fighting every day. We take for granted the availability of policemen and firefighters when we're in need of their services. We do not see them on a daily basis. An actor/actress, however, is on in our homes on our television screens day in and day out. They portray characters we can relate to and we visually see what these characters are going through in their lives and in a sense, we live it with them. And after years of watching a character's life unfold before our eyes, we come to love them. Then we tell ourselves we 'know' the person behind the character--the actor. We start calling them by their first names--Paul--and follow their lives of Facebook and Twitter as 'friends'. Even though we've never actually met them or interacted with them at all. And when they die, we feel like we've lost a member of our family or our best friend.
Lives of celebrities are meant to draw us in. Who wouldn't want to be rich and famous? Who wouldn't want to drive a fancy car and live in a 20 million dollar home? The life of a soldier or a policeman is not as intriguing. In order to become a 'hero', a soldier may lose an arm or a leg or even his life. A firefighter may burn to death in a building trying to save a family he doesn't know. Their pay is low and most don't see their families for months on end.
I find myself torn because I want to grieve for all lives lost but I end up only shedding tears for those I thought I 'knew'.
I discovered a lot about Paul Walker's life that I never knew before his death. I learned he started the organization, Reach Out Worldwide, to send aid to people affected by disaster. Before his death I never even knew this organization existed. I never knew he traveled to these areas personally to hand out supplies to devastated people in areas such as the Philippines. I also learned he had a 15 year old daughter who is now without her father. I learned she was his entire world and they shared a strong father/daughter bond--something I've never experienced. And I found my heart aching for her.
I wish that I could pray and grieve for others such as soldiers, firefighters, and policemen. But I also found that I too am suffering from out-of-sight-out-of-mind.
I hope I haven't stepped on anyone's toes or hurt anyone's feelings.
Please take a moment and say a prayer for a family who has lost a loved one. Everyone is the same in the eyes of the Lord.
God bless all of you.
A soldier is someone who is rarely acknowledged for what they do. Along side policemen and firefighters, they literally risk life and limb to keep people safe--people they've never met. True heroes. Children dream of one day being called a hero. So, why are there more kids wanting to be musicians or actors than soldiers or policemen? And why don't we cry when we hear of a soldier dying in Iraq or a firefighter falling to their death?
The recent death of one of my favorite actors, Paul Walker, has triggered different emotions inside me. His sudden tragic and horrific death left me heartbroken and grieving for a man that I've never met and only knew via my television.
Social media sites were bombarded with posts from people remembering Walker and conveying their condolences. Facebook was plastered with his pictures.
Among the posts were people who were angry that an actor was getting so much attention after his death because soldiers, firefighters, and policemen die everyday and all they got was a mention in their local newspaper.
This made me sad for two reasons. 1. These people were right. It is terrible when a soldier fighting to keep all of us safe and alive dies in disturbing and horrific ways and only a handful of people hear about it. 2. These people were also demeaning someone's death as if it didn't mean as much or wasn't worth talking about simply because they didn't fall into their definition of hero.
Death is death regardless of who did the dying. Everyone is someone's father or mother, sister or brother, son or daughter, or even a friend.
In my opinion, the sad truth of why we grieve for one and not the other has to do with out-of-sight-out-of-mind. We don't see a live feed on our televisions of wars soldiers are fighting every day. We take for granted the availability of policemen and firefighters when we're in need of their services. We do not see them on a daily basis. An actor/actress, however, is on in our homes on our television screens day in and day out. They portray characters we can relate to and we visually see what these characters are going through in their lives and in a sense, we live it with them. And after years of watching a character's life unfold before our eyes, we come to love them. Then we tell ourselves we 'know' the person behind the character--the actor. We start calling them by their first names--Paul--and follow their lives of Facebook and Twitter as 'friends'. Even though we've never actually met them or interacted with them at all. And when they die, we feel like we've lost a member of our family or our best friend.
Lives of celebrities are meant to draw us in. Who wouldn't want to be rich and famous? Who wouldn't want to drive a fancy car and live in a 20 million dollar home? The life of a soldier or a policeman is not as intriguing. In order to become a 'hero', a soldier may lose an arm or a leg or even his life. A firefighter may burn to death in a building trying to save a family he doesn't know. Their pay is low and most don't see their families for months on end.
I find myself torn because I want to grieve for all lives lost but I end up only shedding tears for those I thought I 'knew'.
I discovered a lot about Paul Walker's life that I never knew before his death. I learned he started the organization, Reach Out Worldwide, to send aid to people affected by disaster. Before his death I never even knew this organization existed. I never knew he traveled to these areas personally to hand out supplies to devastated people in areas such as the Philippines. I also learned he had a 15 year old daughter who is now without her father. I learned she was his entire world and they shared a strong father/daughter bond--something I've never experienced. And I found my heart aching for her.
I wish that I could pray and grieve for others such as soldiers, firefighters, and policemen. But I also found that I too am suffering from out-of-sight-out-of-mind.
I hope I haven't stepped on anyone's toes or hurt anyone's feelings.
Please take a moment and say a prayer for a family who has lost a loved one. Everyone is the same in the eyes of the Lord.
God bless all of you.
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