How Many Times Can We Watch A Person Die?

How many times can we watch a video of a man or woman being killed? What does this do to our minds, our hearts, our consciences?

Vickie and I find ourselves watching a segment of “news” here and a segment there because we will not watch people being shot – not even once; let alone watch the same video clip again and again and again.

What does this do to a society? This is not a sporting event (many of them are becoming increasingly violent), this is not a video game (can we tell the difference anymore?), this is not a fictional television show (can we tell the difference?) – this is video of a human being created in the image of God being killed by another human being created in the image of God – these are images of lives being shattered. But can we tell the difference between pixels and humanity?

We are becoming a society of collective judge, jury, and executioner – the irony is that we are executing ourselves. Photojournalism has its place – but when the horrific becomes commonplace and is presented without reverence for the sanctity of life, without a sense of the sacred – when it becomes “reality television” – then what do we have? What have we done? What have we become?

We ought to weep. Instead we watch it again.