This week's mass grieving in response to the death of Australian crocodile hunter Steve Irwin is part of a fairly recent phenomenon dependent on the mass media, say experts.
But how do we make sense of this public grieving for the loss of someone most have never met?
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This is a very interesting question. I am definitely one of those people that are so strongly affected by this tragedy even though I never met Steve. I think there are several reasons why his death has really shaken my world.
1. Steve was such a fun, inspiring person to watch and to share experiences with.
2. Those of us who watched him for a ver long time got to know him. Not just the cartoony Steve who exclaimed "Crikey" all the time. The Steve who smiled after a job well done. The Steve who helped his wife Terri adjust to the work with his good natured instructions and help... and jokes. The Steve who became very solemn or misty eyed at losing an animal or a failed rescue. The Steve who nervously sped to the hospital where his daughter was being born and how excited and choked up he was in the car on the way.
3. Steve was extreme, amazing, talented, dedicated, and therefore a heroic and respectable figure. He tirelessly did what most people wouldn't do because they were too lazy or afraid.
4. Steve improved Australia. He improved the world by causing ripple effects of conservation.
5. He was an original. There was only one Steve Irwin. And in that way, he was a priceless treasure of this world. Without Steve Irwin, the world seems a bit like an old crown that has had yet one more of its brightest gem stones carved out of it, noticably dimming it and decreasing its value.
The people who can't understand our grief needs to read those five reasons above and really think about them. Then it should become so very clear why the public feels so strongly, as if one of their own family members has died.
On a personal note, I lost my mother to cancer when I was 18. It devastated me. I have lost many people since, friends and relatives who I have mourned, but I was ok. I generally handle deaths quite well. But losing Steve Irwin has shaken me to my core. My sisters and I (now 23, 25, and 28) have cried on and off for days now since we heard the news. We are not easily moved like this, but Steve Irwin is THAT moving, THAT inspiring, and now very much lacking. I speak for all of us when I say that I don't know when we'll even be able to accept that he is no longer here. It may take as long for us to recover as it had taken us to recover from the loss of our mother so long ago.
I would love to hear your feelings. Please feel free to comment.
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