My First D&I Meeting

After about 15-20 minutes and a couple short stories from attendees, I was reminded of a message I heard several years ago. Do you remember the movie Black Hawk Down? The movie is about a raid the US was leading to capture high ranking officials in the opposing government. In the process two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and what was supposed to take 1 hour turned into an all night battle.

At one point, the US forces are regrouping, gathering the dead and wounded. The colonel asks a sergeant to drive the truck carrying the dead and wounded soldiers. The sergeant replies that he has been shot implying that he is not able to drive. The colonel, not so politely, reminds the sergeant that everyone has been shot and to drive the truck.

Here are my questions. As humans we all experience situations that result in emotional pain. Is your pain the same as mine? I get that at times emotional pain is situational but how can it be quantified? How can I say that when my wife left me it hurt more than when your wife left you. How is it possible to say that my hurt was X times more relevant than yours? AND to what point? Who cares who got hurt more? Is life a race to a bottomless hurt pit as who got hurt more?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9OM1m0XPf8