"Have Reality Shows Gone Too Far?"

Have Reality Shows gone too far? When we say it’s “Fall Season” that’s actually a pretty strong play on words. Why do we care more about sensationalism then sensitivity? Is the price of fame really worth the cost? Many people don’t know, but I have a 25 year plus history working in the entertainment industry. In my early 20’s I was a working actress doing movies, television and commercials. I never became famous, but I worked enough to receive benefits and to be a regular on various sit-coms and night time dramas.



I live a public life between community work, being a writer, speaking and working on the radio. I’ve learned oftentimes the way things appear may not always be as they truly are. Perception can be one’s reality, but when perception is clouded it can start a long string of misconceptions and deceptions. There comes a time in life when we all must go back to the basics and deal with facts and not just someone’s opinion or message.



The question we must consider is what is our core? What is our truth? What is the foundation we stand on that forms the basis of how we live our lives, raise our families and do the things we do. Do we do the necessary research when our gut tells us something isn’t right? What do we read? What do we watch on television? The bottom line is where do we go to get our information?



Over the past couple of years I’ve actually been approached to possibly be involved with a couple of different Reality Show projects. They never panned out either due to the inability to agree on terms or because in my gut I knew it wasn’t the right thing for me to do. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that television is all about ratings and the almighty dollar. We all know that sex and scandalous situations beef up ratings, which ultimately bring in more revenue, but when is enough enough? When do we reach a threshold of where we’ve internalized enough crap?



Entertainment is always going to be with us, and we all enjoy being entertained, but are reality shows really real or do they turn the spotlight on the things they want us to focus on and magnify areas where some of us may need to inspect our own lives and possibly seek forgiveness? Something worth thinking about.



Healing Without Hate: It's a choice. It's a lifestyle. Pass it on!



Visit www.WendyGladney.com & www.forgivingforliving.org. You can email her at wendy.gladney@gmail.com. Also follow her blog: Wendygladney.blogspot.com. Wendy is featured on Radio Free 102.3 KJLH on Dominique DiPrima's Front Page Friday Mornings @ 5:00am.

Forgiveness is Universal

Wendy & Eva Kor @ The CANDLES Museum & Educational Center in Terre Haute, Indiana

This week marks the 82nd birthday of Nobel Peace Prize honoree Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He's the founder of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and it's his desire to inspire young people to build a world of peace within, peace between and peace among one another. One of the ways he believes this is possible is through the ability to forgive. His book, "No Future Without Forgiveness," highlights what he learned while working with the Truth & Reconciliation Commission in South Africa regarding apartheid. One of his quotes that hits home with me is, "forgiving is not forgetting; it's actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back. It's a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don't want to repeat what happened." I believe one can forgive and still remember in order to help others on their journey.

I opened with the synopsis of Desmond Tutu because last week I shared how my daughter and I were

headed to meet Eva Kor, a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust, Auschwitz and was victimized by Dr. Josef Mengele, a Nazi doctor who did experiments on twins in Auschwitz. As I shared, Eva is the founder of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. The museum's acronym stands for "Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors. While visiting with her and spending the day at the Museum and Educational Center, I received a copy of her book, "Surviving The Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz." I was somewhat surprised to learn Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote a piece proclaiming her book to be an important document showing the strength of the human spirit and the capacity to forgive. Before traveling across country to meet her, I never knew there was a connection between Desmond Tutu and Eva Kor, although it's very befitting. Forgiveness is universal.

My experience in meeting with Eva Kor was quite interesting. When we talked about our lives and how forgiveness was important for both of us to heal and move on we connected in a special bond. During the course of our conversation we spoke on various topics, and although we may not agree on everything, we do believe that if there's any hope for the future of mankind we must all learn to forgive. We all have our own roads to travel, or as my grandmother would say, our own "row to hoe," but what we all have in common is at the end of the day we want to be loved and we want peace in our lives. I challenge you today to release the pain of your past for the beginning of a brighter future. It does begin with us.

Healing Without Hate: It's a choice. It's a lifestyle. Pass it on!

Visit www.WendyGladney.com & www.forgivingforliving.org. You can email her at wendy.gladney@gmail.com. Also follow her blog: Wendygladney.blogspot.com. Wendy is featured on Radio Free 102.3 KJLH on Dominique DiPrima's Front Page Friday Mornings @ 5:00am.