Why is it that when someone famous dies we feel it so strongly? When Alan Rickman died last month, I felt strangely empty inside. I couldn't figure out why. Was it because he played Snape in Harry Potter, a book series that literally changed my life and defined my childhood? That didn't make sense because, as amazing as Rickman was in the part, I'd never particularly liked Snape.
Then, I was talking to a friend about it. I tried to describe the sensation to her, and she told me that she felt the same way about David Bowie, which was also weird because she wasn't super familiar with him. It's not like he changed her life. It's not like Alan Rickman changed mine. So why were we feeling their deaths so deeply, so personally? I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Eventually, I came to a conclusion. It's more than just the basic sadness over the loss of a life. Knowing a person through something as shallow as a movie or a song creates a sort of connection. Think about someone from your favorite movie; not the main character, but someone whose face you would recognize. Now, imagine that you heard about their death over the radio or through social media. You would feel it. I don't think you would cry, but you would feel different. A deep sort of sadness that is hard to get rid of. I wish I knew why, and maybe nobody else feels the same way that I do, but that's my theory. It's hard to believe that someone so full of life could just die. And that is incredibly sad. Leave a Reply. |
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April 2018
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