Yesterday, CNN did a feature story on Unbeaten, the inspirational documentary that chronicles the exploits of 31 paraplegics for six days, as they make their way in wheelchairs and hand cycles across a brutal road race, “Sadler’s Alaska Challenge.”
Last week Unbeaten screened for some of the military’s Wounded Warriors recovering from devastating injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In the CNN interview below, you can hear how the Wounded Warriors were inspired by the film’s message to NEVER QUIT.
For more information about Unbeaten, you can listen to an 8 minute interview that Spiritual Media Blog did with one of the documentary’s producers, Tamara Henry, by clicking the play button below below.
I live with 3 chronic illnesses and find life a bit of a struggle much of the time. Perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to spiritual stories with a darker twist.
I found a deep spiritual message about the value of friendship, and choosing how we want to live our lives, from the episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” called “Normal Again.” This is the episode where Buffy is given a choice: to believe in a world that makes sense (that she might really be a delusional teen, confined to a mental hospital); or to believe that she really is The Slayer (and lives in crazy world full of dangerous vampires).
Buffy chooses friendship, loyalty and love even though it means struggling in a world fraught with danger. This dark story asks the question, “Would you, could you, SHOULD you, choose to believe you are helpless and weak?”
All this sounds like meaningless fantasy, till you live with pain that feels like a sword stabbing through your chest (like I do), or know that you are dying of a terrible curse for a crime you don’t remember committing (as many people with cancer might feel). Then, suddenly, these dark fantasy stories take on a much deeper, most profound meaning. For something that is supposed to be mindless escapism, it is a strange and wonderful spiritual gift.
A documentary on Buddha will premiere this Wed, April 7 at 8 p.m. EST on PBS. The documentary filmmaker, David Grubin, says, “We try to set his life in its historical context, but it’s so long ago that we don’t know what he really did…But what…matters is the story and the meaning of that story and the message of hope that the story carries. And so you won’t find in this film a searching for the historical Buddha. What do find is a great story with great interpreters of the story.”
On October 2, 2006 Charles Carl Roberts IV took hostages at West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, and eventually shot and killed five girls (aged 6-13) before taking his own life in the schoolhouse. At the center of this tragedy was the Amish community’s response and willingness to forgive the gunman.
A member of a nearby neighborhood, Jack Meyer, said “I don’t think there’s anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts.” Additionally, one Amish man held Robert’s sobbing father in his arms, for as long as an hour to comfort him according to some reports.
The impact of their act of forgiveness was powerful on a local and national level. Marie Roberts, the widow of the killer, wrote an open letter to her Amish neighbors thanking them for their forgiveness, grace and mercy. She wrote, “Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you’ve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.”
Some people criticized the Amish for forgiving the killer. However, their willingness to practice a radical and unconditional type of forgiveness had a transformative and healing effect on not only the killer’s family but also on them and because of the national media attention, their forgiveness also had a similar healing effect on parts of the world at large. Forgiveness is not necessarily for the person you are forgiving. It is for you because the moment you forgive someone, you are actually healing yourself on a conscious and unconscious level by letting go of anger, grievances or resistance that might be weighing you down.
This Sunday, March 28th at 8pm EST/5pm PST, Lifetime will be airing Amish Grace, a movie based on the Amish community’s willingness to forgive Charles Roberts for the Oct 2, 2006 schoolhouse shootings. You can also watch it online for free at http://www.mylifetime.com/watch-full-movies-online/amish-grace.
Tonight, on ABC’s Nightline Face-Off at 11:30 EST, Deepak Chopra and philosopher Jean Houston will debate Michael Shermer, founding publisher of “Skeptic” magazine, and Sam Harris, author of “The End of Faith” on the tension between God and science and whether or not God exists.
Dr. Judith Orloff M.D. will be on the Dr. Oz Show Friday March 26th for a segment on “medical intuition.” According to Dr. Orloff,
“The world has opened up so much to intuition. People are hungering for the wisdom of their inner voice, and less afraid than ever to express intuition freely. On tour I had the honor of being a guest on The Dr. Oz Show…Dr. Oz is an amazing bridge between mainstream medicine and intuition.”
Click here to find your local listings and national air times for Dr. Oz’s show on “medical intuition” featuring Dr. Judith Orloff M.D.
Michael Beckwith’s PBS special will begin airing nationally this March. In this TV special, he shares five steps to help individuals achieve greater harmony and happiness in their lives by connecting with their spiritual nature. He also teaches us how to manifest positive results, establish stronger connections with people, forego worry and negative projections and ultimately empower ourselves to enjoy life to its fullest.
To learn more, watch program excerpts and music videos, get local PBS airdates and receive free downloads, visit http://www.the-answer-is-you.com/
Wayne Dyer will showcase his latest book, The Shift, on QVC this weekend March 5-7th. During the show, you will have an opportunity to call in and talk to Wayne about his new book.
In his newsletter today, Wayne writes about The Shift and says, “As we contemplate leaving the morning of our life, where ego has played a commanding role, and entering the afternoon (and evening), where meaning and purpose replace ambition and struggle, we may encounter occurrences that accompany this new direction. It’s almost a universal law that we’ll experience a fall of some kind. Yet these falls or low points provide the energy we need to move away from ego and into a life of meaning and purpose.”
In celebration of the release of Wayne Dyer’s new book, The Shift, Hay House is offering you the chance to win a trip to Maui to see Dr. Dyer live. If you purchase the book from QVC and give them you’re order number, you will be automatically entered to win. For more information on this offer you can click here.
Wayne Dyer’s QVC television special will air on March 5th at 10 pm PT, March 6th at 1 am ET, 8 am PT, 11 am ET and March 7th at 4pm PT and 7pm ET.
In spite of recently being diagnosed with leukemia, Dr. Wayne Dyer is staying true to his message of the power of positive thinking. Last night ABC News aired their interview with Wayne Dyer in which ABC insinuated that positive thinking could be dangerous psycho-babble because some believe positive thinking leads to people blaming themselves for negative events in their life. Wayne Dyer responded to this critique by explaining that when bad things happen to us in life, positive thinking can help us overcome those obstacles and lead to spiritual breakthroughs that would not have occurred in the absence of the obstacles.
Wayne Dyer not only talks the talk, but he also walks the walk. His personal response to having leukemia inspires peace and optimism because he says having leukemia is not going to cause him to worry. He says he lives a worry free life and believes positive thinking helps him create more peaceful circumstances and increases the likelihood of others creating health and happiness.
ABC News will air an hour long TV special in May, or sooner, on positive thinking. It will include people against it and people in favor of it such as Dr. Joe Vitale, Rev. Michael Beckwith and Bob Proctor.
Last week, ABC News journalist Dan Harris visited Joe Vitale’s home to interview him on The Secret, the Law of Attraction, James Ray and the entire self-help movement. Joe said that Dan Harris “is an exceptional man with an amazing ability to ask questions,” but that he also asked tough questions. For example, Dan asked Joe, “You actually charge $5,000 for your Rolls-Royce Mastermind?” and “You sleep at night selling self-help books?”
They also had an interesting conversation where Dan encouraged Joe to try to appear on the David Letterman show. Joe posted that conversation on his blog which you can read if you click here.
Below is video footage of ABC News visiting Joe Vitale’s house.
