Experiencing Our Human Family Through Television

Out of focus TV LCD set and remote control in man’s hand isolated over a white background.

While media can “shield us from direct contact with the pain, the fears and the joys of others and the complexity of their personal experiences,” (Laudato Si), if produced with compassion, television programs give us the personal side of major events, whether disasters or triumphs. We see the smiles of children, the frustration of migrants, the exhaustion of doctors and nurses, the heartache of the grieving, despair, discouragement, effort, courage, and every other human emotion that we may never experience ourselves. Viewing with our hearts, we feel the need for sacrifice, generosity, sharing; and we become more human ourselves, having experienced our human family.