The Secret of Our Heartstrings

What pulls on our heartstrings? In light of the recent Aurora, CO shooting, I have been thinking a lot about what makes human emotions tick. What I am about to say may sound like a "duh" concept, but how many of us have stopped to think about, really, what is our general method of judging who- or what- gets remembered and labeled "tragic"? Dozens of people die daily of old age & disease and it's sad but okay, but when 14 die from a shooting, the whole world reacts. Why? Because we can relate. We don't understand, for the most part, what it is like to be old or diseased and dying, sure we sympathize, but it is with pity that we glance upon those stories-- and move on. The Aurora Shooting was different, why? Because we all go to the movies. It could have been us. My husband and I saw that movie for our Friday afternoon date. As I sat in the theater, I glanced nervously at the Emergency Exit door, glowing ominously from the corner. "It could have been here."  I thought. I realized then that our ability to relate to something or someone directly affects how- and how deeply- we respond. For things like the horrible Aurora Shooting, relating to the victims has fueled our hatred against the shooter, and our media coverage of the event. When we heard about the men in that theater who threw themselves on top of their female friends and ultimately sacrificed their lives for women, how many of you saw yourself in that theater and saw your dad, husband, boyfriend, or brother push you to the floor and shield you from death with his own body? I saw a victim interviewed on the news yesterday. Her boyfriend, a Marine, gave his life to keep her safe. I couldn't help the tears as I watched her 7 minute long interview. Yes, I was sad for the poor girl and her heroic man, but I cried because I know, had that been me in that theater, my husband would have been covering me in a moment, and I would be the girl on the news. The starving in Africa invoke momentary sympathy, but these 14 victims, and especially their lunatic killer, will be remembered. Why?

Because it could have been us.