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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1996)
Jessica KENNEDY . Heaven-sent TV’s Touched by an Angel’reaffirms faith People need faith. Think about the world, even the country, around us. It isn’t a pretty place. Children are killing children, there’s an increase in violence and drug use, and it’s getting harder to make ends meet at the end of the month. Being surrounded by such depression and human degradation can - bring the spirit down. It’s difficult to carry on or be uplifted without appealing to a higher source to make things better. Faith brings th&ftope that better times will come. Faith also provides the moral paradigms of right and wrong, which can help us make choices that will deliver us to those brighter days. Life can be downright depressing —but only if we let it. So we must use little things to lift our spirits, little things like watching the television show “Touched by an Angel,” which airs Sunday nights on CBS. It’s a wonderful, life-affirming ft I truly believe that people are inherently good — naive as that may sound — and this show serves as a pleasant confirmation of that belief.” ■ and warm show. Without fail, some aspect of the story line speaks of the triumph of good over evil and the ever-present, never-wavering love from God. You don’t have to be Christian to be touched by “Touched by an Angel.” Each week, the show takes a close look at both the dark and bright sides of human nature. Guardian angels Monica and Tess, with support from the angel of death, Andrew, intervene in the lives of mortals, bringing them from the shadows in the light of God’s love. Mortals, like you and me, who may be overwhelmed by the task of day-to day living. Mortals tempted by the devil — yes, there is a devil, but it’s more like an evil presence than a fiery, homed male. Mortals who have strayed from the flock. “Touched by an Angel” takes on . the ugly, unpleasant sides of society —drug use, prostitution, racism— and turns their victims’ tales of despair into stories of triumph. Most importantly, “Touched by an Angel” is about faith—faith in God, faith in ourselves and faith in human ity. These lessons of faith are obvi- ; ously speaking to someone. In the last year, “Touched by an Angel” has jumped from one of the lower rated shows to consistently placing in the top 20, if not higher. Watching the show has become a family affair for me—much as in the old days when families gathered around the radio to listen to “Amos and Andy,” or watch “Howdy * Doody” on the black-and-white TV. For me, “Touched by an Angel” is an investment, an investment in my peace of mind. For one hour of my time, I can have days of warm feelings and hope for mankind’s future. Those who deal in more pessimis tic natures may boo-hoo that notion, but it works for me. I truly believe that people are inherently good—naive as that may „ sound—and this show serves as a pleasant confirmation of that belief. Wanting to know there’s someone watching over me, there’s someone who loves me unconditionally and that humanity isn’t cold and unfeel ing is a wonderfully positive way to get through the rough times. This Sunday night, take an hour for your soul and watch “Touched by an Angel.” It’s the best thing you could do for yourself this holiday season. Not to mention a little faith is helpful during finals. Kennedy is a senior advertising and broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. Kasey . i 'yaffil^ Kfg (>1} " * o<fw mtt*) rr?} f-T£ ys#F J^om an) ioh?.’* Heroic verses Look up to those who look out for others It’s funny what the word “hero” has become today. Stop to think about it: Actors in multimillion-dollar flicks have become more likely heroes than people actually living in the real world. It’s a sad day when people like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Cruise become big enough “heroes” -. . tt; ... . .1 to have then own action figures. And don’t forget “Sly” Stallone, who recently got his own postage stamp for his role in “Rocky.” It marked the first time a prominent figure ever got his or her own postage stamp in a foreign country without having to die first. Sad. It brings back memories of an old Tina Turner song from the movie “Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome” (in which, ironically enough, Tina and Mel Gibson were competing to be heroes). liie song’s main verse was also its . title: “We don’t need another hero.” Thie, the song was just written for a soundtrack of a movie that prob ably brought in most of its profits in popcorn sales. Yet it somehow manages to sum up how society perceives or fails to perceive heroes today. Therefore, I’ll use my infinite knowledge of ’80s music to pull ¥-■ some lyrics out of the song, and you can see if they fit society’s views. — It seems we’ve all become so independent that we don’t need a savior, a role model or even a leader.” “We don’t need another hero...” It seems we’ve all become so independent that we don’t need a savior, a role model or even a leader. I’m going to go ahead and bring in Bill Clinton. Now I don’t want you to conjure up an image of Bill in a tattered leather trench coat, lugging around two semi-automatic weapons that strangely never seem to run out ofbullets. Yet Bill Clinton is, as president, what we perceive to be a leader. But a hero? Not likely. Yet imagine yourself fighting off wave after wave of attacks against your character, marriage, children and even your cat. No offense, but if Arnold Schwarzenegger came under the same barrage, he’d kill half a press conference using only the podium. “Cai’t make the same mistake this time...” Often we build our trust in make believe heroes, only to discover a decade later that they ’re nothing more than highly paid actors with personal trainers said even lower paid stuntpeople. But do we ever stop believing? Not likely. Mayb^ it’s because we’re caught up with the fantasy of the idea —living ou( a larger-than-life * r'.i- t ,, „ - adventure where the good guys always win and the bad guys end up falling into a giant ceiling fan. “All else are castles built In the air...” But let’s be honest—in the real world the good guys don't always win. They lose and lose often. Yet even when they do win, we give them as much attention as coleslaw kept at room temperature. “We are the ones they left behind...” There are true-life heroes out there who should not be foigotten. Remember when everyone gave George Bums a world of attention when he was about to turn 100? Well, there’s someone out there who’s not a century old, but has done quite a bit more for the world than prove that one can survive smoking a . big fat cigar everyday. Her name is Mother Teresa. She just got out of the hospital for the fourth time this year and stilt . refuses to listen to the doctors who tell her to rest. Instead, she goes on with the same quest that she has for ' the past 45 years—helping the poor and sic k. - Sure, you’ve heard her name, but do you truly know, the pain she endures? More than any Rambo with a few slugs in his shoulder and what appears to be a bowie knife in his leg —Mother Teresa has had four heart attacks and had a pacemaker im planted within her after the second heart failure. s : “Love and compassion...” Keshia Thomas. She’s an 18-year-old African American student who did something unexpected early one afternoon on the University of Michigan campus. It was on that afternoon that 17 Knights-of the KKK held a rally on the second floor of the city hall. They were surrounded by a group of 300 protestors an the ground below. Suddenly (me of the protestors spotted a man wearing Confederate flags on his vest and T-shirt. What happened next was a swarming of 300 angry protestors on the man, knocking him to the ground and beating him. But Keshia Thomas threw herself over the man and fended off the punches and kicks. She protected the man not because he was wearing a Confederate flag, but because he was a human being. Yet Thomas takes an attitude that you’re unlikely to find from any adrenaline-pumping Hollywood star. She said: “People don’t have to remember my name. I just want them to remember that 1 did the right thing.” “We don't need another hero—” That’s right. We need a lot of them... ^K^aa^hoiimnem- Ur Nebraskan columnist .« ’•'Uv ” •' ' "v ‘ % ■ X, -H. . - y - t ' -