I check world happenings on my electronic screen. Stories slide by. I can choose morsels all the way from the Ebola virus to the “sweet and sexy” moments of a celebrity. Blurbs for all are juxtaposed on the same screen, allowing the viewer to flip from agonizing last moments to the latest refugee crisis, a kind of digital gladiatorial amphitheater.

“Last Moments of a Teen” or “Skydiver Falls to Death” can give meaning to my waking hours if I choose. It’s a smorgasbord for my delight, tempting me to forego not only my usual work routines but also articles that might impart useful analyses of real problems. The latter occupies a lower level on the fun scale.

People’s deaths have become entertainment, their tragedies something for passing the time.

We can, of course, avoid such pieces and take advantage of the internet’s capabilities to search for useful insights. Romans could choose whether or not to see the latest struggles to the death. The victims of the games, however, had no such choice.