Please help me understand this quote?

Question

This quote is by Jose Ortega y Gasset: "Men play at tragedy because they do not believe in the reality of the tragedy which is actually being staged in the civilised world."

Could someone share with me their opinion as to the context of this quote?

Answer 1

because people sometimes dont grasp the seriousness of the situation, we play around with tragedy. meaning that we make fun of what we cant understand. i think that is what its saying. hope this helps. =]

Answer 2

People believe that they are invincible and don't grasp the larger context of the tragedy that is unfolding.

Answer 3

We don't believe that anything bad is happening in this world or in another context, escaping reality.