Sappy Sucker

I am a total sap. I love watching shows like CSI and ER and all sorts of other things that only have initials. At the same time, though, watching these kinds of shows sometimes breaks my heart. Far too often there's a case that involves kids dying. No matter how many times I've seen the same kind of thing before, it kills me. Even reminding myself that it's just a TV show doesn't help. Seeing those little bodies, not moving, breaks my heart. Seeing the parents grieve over the loss of their child makes me bawl like a little baby, too. And of course kids' deaths are not the only sob-inducing storylines out there.

And yet, I continue to watch these shows, even though I know I'll more than likely run across more traumatizing episodes. Why do I do this?

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. But I do have a few theories.

In a way, I believe that watching shows that show the dark side of life can be really helpful. When you know what's out there, you can be better prepared. I realize these shows are fiction, and that a lot of things are portrayed differently from how they occur in reality. But even so, I think I've learned a lot from watching these programs. I know that there's evil in the world, which makes me work harder to protect myself and my family. I also know that tragedy can strike anyway, no matter how safely you're living. That's not a happy topic, I know. But because I've thought about how my own life would be impacted by tragedy, thanks to the situations portrayed on TV, I feel better prepared to meet whatever challenges come my way.

I also think that I've learned a lot of empathy from these shows. When you let your guard down, and allow yourself to become involved in someone's story (the way one does when watching TV), you are affected by it. You learn to feel what other people are feeling. I think this can translate to real life. I've noticed that I can get choked up over a tragedy I read about in the news just as easily as I get choked up over a TV show. Hopefully this will make me a better person to have as a friend when bad things happen to the people I love. Maybe I can be a listening ear and a supportive shoulder for someone who needs it, and be more effective at it, thanks to the empathy I've developed partly from watching shows like CSI, ER, etc. (I do like to think that maybe some of it comes naturally, though).

Last but certainly not least, it's important to know that the good guys can win. Granted, they don't show on TV that they lose a lot of the time, too, but I believe that it's easier to deal with trials when you have hope that things will turn out right in the end. I have a testimony that, even if the "bad guys" win in this life, things will even out in the next. But that's not something a lot of people really believe. Having hope that the good guys will win can help those people when bad stuff happens. Hope can be a terrible thing sometimes, but I believe it's vital.

Anyway, I think those are probably some of the reasons I enjoy these shows so much. It helps, I'm sure, that they're also entertaining. But I like to think that maybe they can make my life happier and better in some ways, too, beyond mere entertainment power.

That way I don't have to feel guilty about being a couch potato. :)