[squirrelicus]

There are better ways to address tragedy than merely feeling sad.

Religious tradition and ritual is full of psychologically useful things. In the LDS tradition, priesthood blessings are getting many men together in solidarity with the victim, stating the problem out loud, and asking the spirit of God what the right thing to do is. In Catholic tradition, family and friends get together set aside time, and do their prayer beads and chants. It's a vehicle to bring people close together in times of tragedy, and let the victim know that their loved ones are there for them and on their side.

[MilanoCookie]

Sadness is the response to a tragic event, not how we address it. I said that we can address it by being practical and seeing what caused the event and how to prevent it in the future.

In terms of the human who experienced the tragic event, yes they are probably traumatized and will have to reflect on it.

In your second paragraph, all you’ve described is a coping mechanism, which makes total sense because humans are social creatures.