Who of us can’t remember sitting in a theater (or today’s movie house) and experiencing what the characters on stage or screen were feeling.  It is the ultimate vicarious experience.  It is YOU who are running away from a murderer, YOU who are praying to God, YOU who are in the emergency room watching a gunshot victim or even feeling the pain.  And through this, it is you who feel panic, reverence or discomfort and hence, relate to the feelings of your fellows.