Good evening @ph1102, literature or cinema works because many of us feel identified with someone we don't know. Feeling the same or similar to other people, I think, is possible... and necessary: it is the beginning of compassion.
Another issue is that the reformulation you have made of the phrase is very accurate, the original phrase can feel like a belittling of the pain of the injured or suffering person.
Regarding generations, I was born in '69, I don't understand mine and it's very difficult for me to understand the later ones...
Happy night!!