Relative Something

I was flipping through the television channels last night and landed on one of the survival shows where people describe their experience and actors perform the reenactment. I have a fascination for survival stories. I don’t know why that is. I have never been involved in that kind of situation, but when I see such stories, there is a strong sense of recognition. I can definitely imagine myself as the person in the story, but there is always a question in my mind about whether I could actually endure what is being depicted. I think about what I would do different from the people in the reenactments. Too often, my thought is, “I would have given up long before they reached their next precarious predicament.”

I think about what it would be like to survive, even as I wonder if I have what it takes to do so.

If you haven’t ever watched one of these “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” episodes, there are segments where the narrator reports what goes on in the human body at the different levels of reaction to injury, or exposure, or deprivation. It is incredibly informative. I began to think last night that it would be valuable information to have in many of our other daily dramatic endeavors.

During our commute through rush hour traffic, the narrator could report how our blood pressure rises and breathing quickens as adrenalin surges. Or when we skip a meal and later choose some lousy processed food option that’s convenient, the voice will detail the subtle changes our bodies make in response to our bad choices. When we find ourselves embroiled in some dramatic spat with others, we could receive information that improves our perceptions of how our emotions are raging and better hone our responses to maximize safe and healthy outcomes.

Why does it only happen in the reenactments? Maybe someday, in the future…