Today I am Connecting a WP Daily Prompt to childhood memories and adult boundaries. Read more about my lifelong quest and the piece of media that helps answer the prompt’s question…
Hello Neighbor!
I’ve always been drawn to crime series. If you were to look through my watchlist, you’ll find long-running staples like Criminal Minds, or more recent hits on Netflix like I Will Find You.
It might seem like an odd choice for a virtual home centered around Connection, but there is a specific reason I’m drawn to these stories. It comes down to a lifelong quest with a single question: Why do people behave the way they do?
As a child, I observed adults fighting with each other, even witnessing them kidnap a child right in front of my eyes for the sole purpose of making a point to the adults they were arguing with. Why did, and still, do people do this? Or another example: I also never understood why I had to choose one parent over the other, during and after a divorce.
Understanding the "Why"
In a good crime drama, you aren’t just watching a mystery unfold; you are watching a deep dive into the human psyche. You get to peel back the layers of a person’s life to see the exact turning points, the fractures, and the environments that shaped them.
The fascinating, and sometimes uncomfortable, part of looking through this lens is that it breeds empathy. When you look closely enough at the Why, even the actions of a criminal can become understandable in the context of their history. You see the patterns that led to the behavior.
But understanding isn’t the same as excusing.
Lately, modern culture likes to blur the lines, pretending everything is relative. But I believe that contrary to a lot of modern coaching, there is a right and a wrong way to live in this world. You can deeply understand the pain that drove someone to do harm, while still holding the firm line that what they did was absolutely wrong.
While I forgave those adults from my childhood a long time ago and will keep them always in my heart, I also came to understand the Why behind their actions. The perfect way does not exist, but because I believe there is a right and a wrong way to live, my empathy toward myself reminds me that it is okay to disConnect from those who don’t change their destructive behavior. It is okay to step away when a Connection no longer serves your unique self.
For me, watching these series isn’t only about the thrilling element. It’s a reminder of how complex we are as human beings. We are all trying to survive, connect, and evolve on a daily basis. Sometimes people get terribly lost along the way. Exploring those dark corners of our humanity doesn’t harden my Soul; it just makes me realize how vital it is that we do the work to understand our own Core, before we make choices that pull us away from who we really are.
Share your insights, inspire each other:
I invite you to visit other global neighbors and read their answers to this daily prompt here:
Neighbor to neighbor: Do you find yourself drawn to stories that explore the darker or more complex sides of human nature? What’s a series, movie or book that shifted how you look at people?
Looking forward to Connect!
Warmly,
Patty
