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Columbia versus Challenger: The Empathy Factor
By Karla Whitmore
Seven years ago on February 1st, the space shuttle “Columbia” broke up and all of the astronauts on board were lost. NASA was aware of a problem when a piece of insulation broke off during launch, striking and damaging the thermal protection system, but at that point, it was too late to do anything about it. (See Reference 1) In fact, the shedding of debris with consequential damage to the shuttle was nothing new. Most of the time, the damage was minimal. This time, however, there was a sense of foreboding. Anyone who watched the news or kept up with the status of the Columbia in space remembers the tension – even with all of the experts telling us that things would likely be “okay”. As a nation, the U.S. held its collective breath and prayed for good fortune and the protection of the shuttle as it re-entered the atmosphere. Then there was silence. We all knew what had happened, even though we were told for several hours that it was “unconfirmed”. That day, seven of the world’s bravest and brightest gave their lives in the name of space exploration. Sadly enough, it wasn’t the first time people had died in the furtherance of the space program’s agenda. As a teenager, I sat in front of the television along with the rest of my school and watched the launching of the Challenger. When the shuttle blew up right there on the screen, the horrified silence was almost worse than the crying and shouting that followed. I recall my heart jumping into my throat and the severe pain in my chest. While it is true that down through history, people have sacrificed their lives in the name of discovery, the death statistics for the exploration of space is extremely high. This is because when a space shuttle breaks up, the survival of even one person is impossible. I noticed something different about the Challenger incident and the Columbia incident. Now, this may be just my perspective, but I wonder if others’ have noticed that fewer tears were shed? The weeks that followed the horrible accident with the Columbia were not as grief-ridden or reverent as the weeks following the explosion of the Challenger. After the Challenger, some were concerned that those children who viewed the explosion would have long-lasting emotional trauma. ??? It’s called “empathy” and I for one am glad to have felt it! I am glad it was as horrifying to us as it was - and I’m glad we all threw our arms around each other, cried, and then prayed for the families that were left behind. I fear the difference between the 28th of January in 1986 and later, February 1st, 2003, was a generalized distancing of ourselves from the suffering of others. Perhaps we have “seen too much”, but I can’t help but feel it is more than that. I am not going to lecture about violent media and video games and how they are the cause of everything wrong in the world, but I do feel that the more we and our children are exposed to death and violence in entertainment, the more jaded we become. I just want to encourage everyone out there to allow yourselves to feel the pain that accompanies tragedy whether or not you are directly involved with it. Allow a lump to come up in your throat; allow the tears to roll down your face; feel horror when others’ suffer! Most of us do feel it; it just seems that fewer of us allow ourselves to feel it every time. We stuff it down and move on. My wish for the world in 2010 is that we feel the pain of others’ suffering and use that pain to spur us into action. We couldn’t do anything about the Challenger or the Columbia, but we can do something about starvation, drought, genocide and the aftermath of natural disasters. We can use our hands, our voices and our hearts to express our empathy through action. Peace.
Karla Whitmore is a freelance web content writer who specializes in blogging, internet marketing,SEO writing, being a mom and grandmother, and procrastinating. You can learn more about her and what she does by checking out her blog KarlaWhitmore.Com or hubs.
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NASA – Columbia
| Challenger on YouTube
| Space Accidents and Incidents
Challenger Explosion - from Wikipedia
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I saw both tragedies on TV -- the Challenger "live". It is a horrible fascination that many of us go through. You are correct on your analysis. But you know, there's another factor at play here. It's not just the video games. Don Henley of the Eagles wrote a song awhile back called "Dirty Laundry". One of the lines: "It's interesting when people die..." That sticks in one's throat.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Too true. People do have a horrid fascination for bad news -- especially when it happens to others. Luckily, there are many who are interested in creating good news, too. :)
Very moving post, Karla. Thanks.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You're welcome and thanks for reading!
My mother and step father lived in Cape Canaveral at the time of the Challenger Disaster. They didn't see it on TV. They were there near the launch site and saw it first hand. My mother says she was in a state of disbelief. I think there is a lot more empathy in the country than many people believe. My mother recalls my step father who had watched a number of launches say, " It's not right." This was well before the explosion took place. I have seen three launches first hand myself and it is truly a awesome thing to behold first hand. One of them was a night launch. I think that one main difference between the Challenger and the Columbia is the images. The reality was much more intense with the amount of photography of the Challenger disaster.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You make a great point! It is harder to ignore something that unfolds in front of your eyes and I do believe the media kept the Challenger story going for longer,too. That may be just my perspective, but it did seem that way to me.
Another well researched, well written intel, Karla.
Thank you for sharing these memories.
Keep up the good work.
Best to you.
Frederick
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