Starving for empathy

“The Hunger Games” trilogy, which follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) through the rebellion and overthrow of the dystopian society of Panem, is a deeply moving series of films that is dripping with underlying meaning, and you will, no doubt, see me come back to these films in future writings. I read the books by Susanne Collins before watching the movies, as I often do, and loved them equally, if not more, than the film adaptions. Recently released, was a fourth installment to the literature, a prequal occurring 64 years before the namesake series is set, titled, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” I recently finished the book, and I am here to tell you, I am loving it.

I revisited the films for a quick comparison of some themes I noticed in “The Ballad,” and looking at them analytically, a tidal wave of themes that I have missed from a superficial standpoint flooded me. One that struck me the most was the notion of perspective and the way that the world looks from a specific point of view. Multiple people can look at a specific event or happening and see it in a different light, depending on circumstance, creating multiple “truths” for one event. Some might say, “But Lauren, no, no, no. The truth is the truth and there is only one.” But is there? It depends on where you stand. Let me explain.

Take the example of the fictional events of the Hunger Games themselves; for those who have not read or watched these stories, the Hunger Games are an act of punishment and retribution for a great war, and an annual reminder of the strife that had ensued. The layout is as follows: every year, two children, one male and one female, in the teen years of life, from each of the 12 conquered districts of the country, are randomly chosen and sent to the Capitol (the conquering party) to fight to the death in an arena on live television—an event that was wildly popular and publicized in the Capitol, even loved, yet despised in most of the districts. You had a few districts in which this was an honor, seeing as the single winner of the event would be showered with riches and glory—a far cry from the norm of district life—but over all, this event was not well received in the conquered regions.

We can see from the first film that those who are Capitol citizens are congratulating these “tributes” abducted from their lives to compete in this blood sport, citing it as an honor. There is betting on the contestants, sponsoring, and fan favorites. Truly the whole escapade reminds me of the reality show, “Big Brother.” People see it as necessary and correct, a fitting punishment for the heinous crimes of the war that tore the country to shreds, while also becoming a national pastime, like a Braves game.

While, when you see the cut scenes back to the oppressed districts, the tone is a 180-degree turn. This is a mournful atrocity for most, ripe with helplessness to stop it, and forced to endure the exploitation of these innocent victims. That is their “truth” of the event, a cruel and unfitting punishment for a war that most were never a part of and never even saw. Yet, for the ruling privileged class’ “truth,” this was moral, and just.

So, how can they both be “truthful?” Position and perspective. These people were in different walks of life and matters of opinion. Of course, there are other factors in these “truths:” indoctrination, oppression, violence, degrees of involvement, etc., but which “truth” is the right truth? Well, that is up to the person and personal moral opinions, but what is unchanged and will remain so, are facts.

We all live our lives, I like to believe, being the best people that we can be. So many times, we lack the ability to see the world and goings on from the perspective of others and assume that our perspective is the only “truth.” We can see an event and allow our opinion to shred any opportunity for any empathy that may appear. That is important to remember, your perspective is not the only one, and all sides of an issue must be considered to create a true and lasting solution.

Yes, “The Hunger Games” is an extreme example, and I absolutely believe that this notion is horrifying and terrible and should never ever come to fruition in real time, just as there are many other real happenings in the world today that are inexcusably wrong. But no matter the size or importance of the event or issue, it will never be solved without some form of empathy, which unfortunately, is not a flower grown in every garden, but the seed can always be planted. We have to understand the “truths” of perspective to get to the facts, and through the facts, combined with empathy; we may be able to get to a standpoint that we can all get behind.

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