Vicarious

Vicarious (adj.): feelings experienced without taking part in the activity itself.

There is no denying the fact that our world is vicarious. Everyday, the media displays the latest installment of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war, pestilence, famine, etc. Millions of viewers tune in to their news statements to watch the horrors displayed on their televisions. Time and time again, we hear ourselves saying, "That's too bad," or "How awful." Very few newscasts cover "happier" stories. Most news stations go for the shock factor to get ratings. Viewers feel empathetic to the victims of the disasters. They feel like they are suffering too without actually feeling the true pain of a disaster. Personally, I have not been the victim of a disaster. The closest I have been to one is when I helped clean up in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. What I experienced from watching the news pales in comparison to actually being there. There are people who see what happens in the world, and do their best to help. There are also a lot of people who see what happens, feel sorry for the victims, and go back to their everyday lives. For most of us, the latter is the better choice because sometimes there just isn't anything we can do to help. However, that does not mean we should pass up on opportunities to help out.

Music can be a criticism of society if one knows where to look. Tool is a band that, for the most part, fits into the genre of progressive metal. Some of the titles of their songs explain what the song is about. Some songs are on completely different levels than their titles. One song in particular is their song "Vicarious," off their album 10,000 Days. The opening lines of the song are, "Eye on TV, 'cause tragedy thrills me." Right from the beginning, Tool describes the essence of the word, vicarious. One of the most powerful sections of the song is, "I need to watch things die from a good safe distance, vicariously I live while the whole world dies, you all feel the same way so why can't we just admit it?" Society does not want to admit it wants to see the misfortune of others on the television. Sometimes seeing scenes of tragedy makes people feel a little better about their own lives. Society does not want to seem like it is uncaring. We do watch scenes of horror from a good safe distance, in the comfort of our own homes.

Does this make us a terrible society? In my opinion, not so much. We do our best to live our lives in ways that bring us happiness. We recognize that we are powerless to save the entire world. Different societies are products of different cultures. The best we can do is to try our hardest to not take what we have for granted. We may be vicarious, but that does not mean we have to be greedy.
(If you would like to listen to "Vicarious" by Tool, please visit playlist.com)