This bit relies on you having either read the books or, seen the movies and if you have said yes to either, please continue reading.

Who do you relate to in the stories? If you take a moment to contemplate the idea of who you relate to most — is it really the protagonist?

Really?

I think there’s a little in all of us that want to believe we’re the underdog, the good guy, the person that people want to root for but the unfortunate reality; most of us are the well to do, affluent drones sitting on the other side, benefiting from the spectacle that is- the Hunger Games.

Using the story as a rhetorical commentary on the world we live, you no doubt understand that we are the fortunate ones. No matter how you view your life and you perceive the hardships, the mere fact that you have the technology to read this blog suggests you’re better off than over 3.5 billion people on this planet.

You are the spectator in an increasingly dark, uncaring world where profit and entertainment trump human suffering.

Did you see it when you watched the movie? The people from the city, with their fancy clothes and extravagant lifestyles, betting money on which young child would be the victor in an all out blood bath? So removed from the reality of the people living on the other side and conditioned to believe that this is just the way the world is.

Like us.

There’s no time to think about the children in a far off land who died in a factory fire making that t-shirt you’re wearing. We’re already thinking about the next t-shirt we have to buy that has this season’s colors. There’s no reason to think about the professional athlete that’s now living in assisted care from one too many blows to the head, because we’re trying to figure out if we want nacho cheese or salsa on our chips during intermission.

There’s some digression here for effect…but really, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. I’m just stating more of the obvious.

We all care in our own way. Whether you volunteer your time to a charity organisation or write a check to support a cause — we all want to be the good guy. It’s just that we can’t. Good guys are hard to come by because those people carry certain ideals that make it virtually impossible to survive within this world we have created.

Mother Theresa is probably the last “good guy” I can remember in this era There was no yearning for trappings or fame, even though the fame was there. Her goal was simply to help others with no expectation of reward (sans her eternal salvation) and that kind of lifestyle does not always open up the doors to acceptance in our club.

The club? The one we all belong to; the system, that thing we bought into at a young age and continue to support and nurture through our lifetime. We’re part of the flock — get the education, get the job, get the house, the car the family and consume as we’re instructed. Believe that it’s choice while turning a blind eye to the suffering of those closest.

You are not Katniss Everdeen, no matter how much you think you relate to the character and pull for her. We are part of the elite, insulated from the reality of a world where there is more suffering in a day than most of us could invision in a lifetime. You are, at best Haywitch Abarnathy where you can see what’s happening and understand it but, preferably hold on to you status and instead medicate the conflict with anything that can alter the reality.

And medicate we do. In Canada, we consume more alcohol and prescription medication per capita than anywhere else in the world. It makes me think there’s a lot of Haywitch’s out there — all trying to cope with a world that profits from suffering rather than opting for solutions.

Do I have a solution? This is it. While it was suggested I take a more positive approach in my musings, it’s difficult to find the positive when I see so much suffering around me. I write about what I see and feel. Other than that, I draw the line in the sand and invite others to join me. It’s a choice. Don’t kid yourself. You don’t need to support tyranny.

Tyranny comes in many forms. I’m not perfect — I still support violent professional sports where the athletes are used for our entertainment and where the majority of them end up broken and penniless. Sure, the superstars make obscene money and live extravagent lifestyles but they represent a ridiculously small percentage of that group.

I have chosen, as some of you already know, not to support or watch the Olympic games. Sorry, I don’t care about the young athletes representing our country. Our country and those athletes are supporting the worst kind of tyranny. Corruption at the highest levels dismisses human suffering in the interest of profit. The games are tarnished and having nothing to do with amateur sport or the ideals of Olympic competition. It is about advertising dollars and product placement. It is about greed.

If you choose to support and watch the Olympics this year; remember Katniss Everdeen. She’s the one you wish you were like but unfortunately, you’re aligning yourself with the character in the picture above. Own it.