Because the media is such a rich source of inspiration, I’m staying with it for today’s efforts. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been all bad news this past week. I’ll note events that I deem to be "positive" in nature, but I stress that this is my opinion of what’s positive, but of course, you are free to form your own opinion.
Last week I wrote about the death of the actor who took his own life, albeit accidently, by an overdose of heroin mixed with other substances. About how the media covered that event (and still is), mostly in glowing platitudes of what a great guy he was. You know, "he was a great friend and husband. Tremendously accomplished actor, but he just couldn’t control the ‘demons’ in his life." Well, we’ve had another death occur this week in the entertainment community and I’m going to reflect on her life for a few moments.
The latest death of which I speak is that of Shirley Temple Black, a lady that I consider to be a "positive" role model, not just for the entertainment business but for all people everywhere. Did you know that the vast majority of her acting career was done before she was a teenager? In fact, she made over 40 movies before she was 12 years old.
Her entire acting career had, what everyone from the President on down considered to be, a "positive" effect on our nation. There was never a scandal, a reproach or anything of a "negative" nature associated with either her business or personal life. Not many in that business can claim that, can they?
She was married for 64 years to the same husband and a mother to three children. More important to look at is her public life after her acting career. She served as our Ambassador to the countries of Ghana and Czechoslovakia. In between those duties she served as the White House Chief of Protocol for President Ford. Not your typical "actor" was she?
She earned several million dollars as a child actor, but only to find out later that her parents had wasted just about all of it. She never showed any anger or resentment towards them for this loss nor did she ever speak in negative terms about it in interviews. They were her family and she forgave them for it.
As to how she thought about her success in the movie industry, we get a clue from something she once said in an interview. She said, "Sometimes one scores a bulls-eye purely by chance." (Reminds me of Eccl. 9:11) She was also asked once about how she "saw herself" when she looked back on her life. She said, "I always think of her as ‘The Little Girl.’ She’s not me." What a tremendous statement about her attitude towards life. I think we can conclude that she also didn’t have the massive ego that seems so predominant in the entertainment industry.
It’s a pleasure to write about an entertainer such as she. One who always presented a "positive" and forgiving influence towards the public. One who never showed anything of a "negative" or scandalous nature. If she had "demons" no one ever knew it.
She was exemplary as an actor, but she left that world to devote her efforts to serving her country and was exemplary in that business. She retired from government service and lived a quite and full life as a wife and mother and died peacefully last Monday surrounded by her loving family. I would hope that the media spends as much effort on her life and death as they did on the doper who killed himself. Somehow I doubt they will.
How about another "positive" thing from the media world? Actually the "sports media" world, to wit: the Olympic Games going on in Russia as we speak. Our "positive" example is the Dutch speed skater, Sven Kramer. Why I see him in a "positive" light is because of something many may have missed or not known about him and speaks volumes about what kind of person he is.
You see, he was competing in the last Winter Olympics and was the odds-on favorite to win the 10,000 meter race, as he is these games also. In his race during the last games, he was way ahead and winning the race but he was disqualified because he did not change lanes as he was required to do. It wasn’t his fault because his coach told him not to change. The coach was wrong, but that didn’t do Sven any good. He still was disqualified.
What a cruel and disappointing end to all his years of training and practice. How bitter must he have been and how distressed and crushed the coach must have felt over this. Would he be banished from coaching in this sport? Would any other skater trust him to coach him after that incident? Well, as Paul Harvey would have said, "here’s the rest of the story" and as I said, to me it’s the best one to come from these Olympics.
Next Tuesday, Feb. 18th, Sven will race again in the 10,000 meter event and he’ll have his old coach right there with him on the track guiding him. The same coach that misled him in 2010 and got him disqualified. It was reported by a commentator that he had forgiven the coach for his mistake in the last Olympics. But, even better, not only has he forgiven him, he has him there with him as his coach at these games.
To me, this example of forgiveness and kindness by someone, wronged in such a public and costly manner, speaks volumes about the character of this young man. I don’t know the spirituality of Sven Kramer, but I can say that, by the example I see being set by him in the forgiveness of his coach and wanting him back at his side, made me recall some words the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Colossians (3:12-13). These words are descriptive of the nature of Christians and I think Sven’s story can illustrate what Paul’s saying.
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
Since we talked about "deaths" in last week’s editorial and also today’s I’d like to close with one more little thought on that subject. I read a little sign the other day that I feel is appropriate for the wrapping up of our thoughts here. It simply read:
"Live every day like it’s your last. One day you’ll get it right."
And here’s the thing to remember about that. We don’t know when that "one day" will be so it behooves us to live such lives that we’re always "walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing..." (Col. 1:10) That we’re ever "growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." (2Pet. 3:18) And then, if we’re "faithful unto death (that "one day" that’s coming to all of us) and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev. 2:10)
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey
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