NationStates Jolt Archive

Do tragedies affect you?
I made this thread just out of curiosity of certain world events that have happened.
I began thinking about human life, than about how little I care about people I have no relations with, such as a random person named Jennifer on the other side of the world.

Perhaps I am cynical to not be affected about death amongst humans I do not know. Of course it is selfish, everything about mankind is selfish.
However I do know that some people do become affected by wars, disasters, what have you, even when they are in no way connected to them.

Unless a tragedy has a high chance of affecting you, such as a war being declared on your country, or a hurricane sweeping through your state/province - are you affected emotionally/mentally?

Animal tragedies affect me. People tragedies tend not to, so much.

I'm affected enough that i donate money to charities that help people, that i have done volunteer work, that i do think about it when it happens. It doesn't affect my everyday life though the way the death of a loved one would. It's not on the same level as losing my mom or something would be.

Animal tragedies affect me. People tragedies tend not to, so much.

What about things like 9/11, Tsunami, Wars?
I usually just say "That's a shame" and continue on with my daily routines.

Do tragedies affect you?
I made this thread just out of curiosity of certain world events that have happened.
I began thinking about human life, than about how little I care about people I have no relations with, such as a random person named Jennifer on the other side of the world.

Perhaps I am cynical to not be affected about death amongst humans I do not know. Of course it is selfish, everything about mankind is selfish.
However I do know that some people do become affected by wars, disasters, what have you, even when they are in no way connected to them.

Unless a tragedy has a high chance of affecting you, such as a war being declared on your country, or a hurricane sweeping through your state/province - are you affected emotionally/mentally?

Yes, sometimes. News stories about foreign wars/disasters/etc. have certainly made me cry before. I don't internalize every tragic event I hear about (and thank goodness, since that would drive one totally off one's rocker pretty quickly), but I did actually have to give up listening to/reading about international news for several months a few years back, because it was simply making me too darn miserable.

I have friends who live in and around NYC, so September 11th made me think of them immediately. I donated money to the Red Cross for the tsunami and the hurricane. I do a little more than just say "that's a shame" and move on, but i don't dwell on it. I can be sympathetic to the plight of others while still living my life.

Tragedies only affect me if there is sad music in the background. Especially violins. Then I cry like a baby.

Even personal 'tragedies' such as the death of a friend don't affect me. That bothers me a fair bit, since I really think that I should feel something when things like that happen, but I don't. Not that I don't care about people in my life, but if a friend or family member were to die, I honestly don't know how much 'greiving' I would do.

Huh. And now I sound like a heartless bastard. Go me.:rolleyes:

Yes, sometimes. News stories about foreign wars/disasters/etc. have certainly made me cry before. I don't internalize every tragic event I hear about (and thank goodness, since that would drive one totally off one's rocker pretty quickly), but I did actually have to give up listening to/reading about international news for several months a few years back, because it was simply making me too darn miserable.

But why does the news bother you so much?
I can perfectly understand if family member, friend or just somebody you know is involved, somebody you had a relationship with at one point in time.
Terrible events happen all the time.

I'm not always affected by loved ones dying either, don't worry. When my grandpa died when i was 12, i wasn't all that bothered, but i was 12 and he was 75, he lived a fairly good life. If my mom or a good friend died though, that would be different.

Yes, tragedies affect me. They make me smile. Or even grin, or chuckle. Or, sometimes Punch the air and go "Yes!!! Global extiction of the human race, here we come!!!!!"

I hope we really do die off.

But why does the news bother you so much?
I can perfectly understand if family member, friend or just somebody you know is involved, somebody you had a relationship with at one point in time.
Terrible events happen all the time.

I suppose it's simply that even if I don't know the people involved, someone does, and it's all too easy to imagine what it would be like if it were me or someone I love in their place. People far away whom I've never met are still people, and I know pretty well what it's like to be a person and to have rotten things happen to you.

And, I think, there's also a sense of outrage that comes when someone does something grossly cruel, selfish, or evil, that isn't so much related to imagining myself or those I love in place of the real victims as it is to pure disgust that the perpetrators could stoop so low. I get this a lot with stories of people torturing pets or beating their children to death. Ugh. :(

To a certain degree. If its nothing personal, like stuff I see on the news or what not, I'll just think thats unfortunate and continue with life. If it is a personal tragedy, I'll definitely be saddened.

Do tragedies affect you?
Yes. I think about things like that any time i'm online, actually.

I pay a lot of attention.
A psychiatrist could have some fun with it, i suspect.

I think the quote attributed to Stalin says it best: "One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic."

I take the meaning of this to be not that people are cold and callous as much as the human condition is a very limiting one. People can relate to the suffering of one person through personal experience. To try to relate to the same suffering a millionfold is beyond comprehension.

major tragedies that effect large numbers of people bother me more than say a random murder. And for some reason things in Africa dont bother me too much at all. is that bad, I don't know.