So it seems like God wrote your action movie.

Let me tell you a story. If you think you’ve heard it before, don’t stop me.

So once you were this fine young person in a great family. I mean, Dad was stellar, big Brother was a totally awesome role model, et cetera. Then this really bad dude (and I mean really, really bad) kidnaps you. Demands a ransom of like, 100 million dollars. And since your Dad is the richest guy in the world (hence the giant ransom), Dad’s like, “Whatever it takes.” But your Brother is like, “No, Dad. Let ME go and switch out and take care of it. You know I love that kid and would do anything to keep them safe.” So Dad is like, “Well, okay, Son.” So your Brother goes and the really bad dude lets you go. THEN he kills your Brother. You’re devastated. BUT your Brother is super smart and awesome and had a plan. He didn’t stay dead. SHAZAM. Brother is alive and kicks the really bad dude’s butt. Goes back home where you all party forever because you’re all glad to be alive and back in Dad’s house and the really bad dude is gone forever.

Sounds like some summer blockbuster, doesn’t it? Except it’s not. It’s my story. Maybe your story. But for some, the ending goes like this:

Brother is alive and kicks the really bad dude’s butt. Then you turn to your Brother and are all, “What the heck, man, why’d you do that? He was going to take me to this totally ballin’ party and we were going to get into all kinds of awesome trouble and it would be great, but you just ruined it for me by knocking him into oblivion. What am I supposed to do now?!” And your Brother says “Well, um. We were going to have a party, ourselves and celebrate for basically ever because I just saved you back there but if you don’t want to come, then that’s up to you. We’ll still be celebrating the fact that the really bad dude is gone, but it would be better if you were there. We’ll be mourning the loss of you. But it’s up to you. Go if you want to go.” So you’re like, “Fine! I will!” And then leave the Brother who just saved your ass and the Dad who was willing to pay the 100 million dollar ransom to go find some party the really bad dude told you about where you end up getting killed by something that you thought was going to be fun.

Not so fun. Not so great. Not such a blockbuster. Because no one wants to see that film. The film that ends in the death of the person who was being rescued and the sorrow of the one who was doing the rescuing. People might put up with a prison sentence at the end of a movie if some noble cause was in fact executed through whatever means, but total death of the main character in an action film? No sequel potential. No one’s buying that. Yet many people buy it for their real life, the one that happens off the screen. Why? Someone answer this question for me, because I am boggled.