While having dinner with a dear friend last, we were discussing how much we enjoy writing our blogs and how we come up with different topics. Much to my friend's horror, I told her that I get the most "hits" or reads when I write about food (we all love to eat) or something bad happening. This has been confirmed to me by other bloggers who started writing when they had a premature baby. Giving day-by-day accounts of that little life barely hanging on, got the writer tons of hits. Now that the baby is healthy and out of the woods, readership has dropped measurably.
What is it about us that loves looking into others lives and finding out they have troubles, worries and misery? We all know, on a logical level, that no life goes unscathed. We all have setbacks, hurts and ups and downs. Why do we take some vicarious pleasure in knowing, our life may be bad, but somebody's might just be worse?? Oh, we don't say it like that at all. We tsk tsk and shake our heads and say how sad, but part of us is actually happy that it's not us. We are happy to do the mental scorecard and find we come out on top. Does this make us bad people or just people? We have all driven by the traffic accident and, try as we might to look away, we can't help but glance at it for a moment. Right afterwards, we shudder and say a small prayer for the people involved and an even bigger prayer that it's not us.
With this post, I guess I risk people thinking I am an awful person for saying such things. However, I don't think so. I think you know what I'm talking about and have felt exactly like this in your life. Again, not bad people ~ just people.
What is it about us that loves looking into others lives and finding out they have troubles, worries and misery? We all know, on a logical level, that no life goes unscathed. We all have setbacks, hurts and ups and downs. Why do we take some vicarious pleasure in knowing, our life may be bad, but somebody's might just be worse?? Oh, we don't say it like that at all. We tsk tsk and shake our heads and say how sad, but part of us is actually happy that it's not us. We are happy to do the mental scorecard and find we come out on top. Does this make us bad people or just people? We have all driven by the traffic accident and, try as we might to look away, we can't help but glance at it for a moment. Right afterwards, we shudder and say a small prayer for the people involved and an even bigger prayer that it's not us.
With this post, I guess I risk people thinking I am an awful person for saying such things. However, I don't think so. I think you know what I'm talking about and have felt exactly like this in your life. Again, not bad people ~ just people.
I think it just gets us out of our own life for a second or two. Then we thank God for what we consider our own problems and...maybe just maybe you'd actually rather keep our own lives...warts and all!
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