What is "A Course in Miracles", and why is Oprah Winfrey offering these daily courses via her satellite radio program and promoting the courses on her show? Is it a new age philosophy, a religion, or something entirely different?
Whatever it is, it would be a mistake to ignore what Oprah promotes. Her TV show, magazine, website, and other media ventures that are part of her massive Harpo Productions corporation have huge readership, so anything she promotes (especially as frequently as she has promoted A Course in Miracles) will result in huge sales.
An article on TheLife.com explores what A Course in Miracles is all about: Oprah and A Course in Miracles. We encourage you to read it, and invite you to post your responses in the comments on this blog.
Embarrassment. Shame. Disgust. These ugly words don’t begin to describe the horror of what it felt like to be beat up as a 14 year old. I can still remember my classmates gathered around cheering for the ones delivering the powerful blows. As the beatings continued, I looked for a place deep within myself where I could pretend that the beatings weren’t happening to me.
I didn’t know what I had done to be hated so much. As an adult, I still don’t know. I didn’t understand why tormenting me was such a fun event for everyone else. The beating seemed to last forever and finally I was left laying on the ground. Beaten and bruised, I stood up to make my way back to the school building. I knew this day would forever change my life.
My peers accomplished something that day. They stripped me of my self-worth and made me hate myself as much as they hated me. I believed I deserved it. I was too scared to tell my family or any of the teachers. It happened a lot that year.
In the years that followed, I went through a lot of pain because I disliked myself so much. So much hurt could have been avoided if I would have dared speak out. I was convinced that no one would hear me if I did. Now, as an adult, I can see that my thinking was wrong. I did not deserve to be beaten-up. I had done nothing wrong and if I had gone to someone in authority they would have helped me. I was not as along as I felt.
School beatings have been in the news a lot the past few days. How can students and adults stand aside and watch as children are tortured? What can we do to stop this abuse? What if the student was one of your own friends? What if it was you?
Before the Internet, most famous people became well known because of exceptional ability, talent, or achievement that was particularly noteworthy. Nowadays, any idiot with a webcam can become famous (and many do). How many of the popular Internet memes in the video do you recognize?
Question to ponder: Are people making significant achievements in the fields of humanities and sciences being subjugated by the popularity of "Internet people", whose obscure talents may make us laugh (often at the person instead of with them) yet add little to our practical lives or life fulfillment?
Earlier this month, the world celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day on the 40th anniversary of Dr King’s historic speech where he dreamed of equality for people of all races. The issue of race has come back prominently into the news in Canada with the announcement that the Toronto District School Board approved moving ahead to created an "Afro-centric school":
The debate over Africentric schools in Toronto is raging [due to] a controversial step to help struggling black students with alternative education. By a vote of 11 to nine, school trustees agreed on an "operational model" for a black-focused school. The school would focus on the experiences and contributions of African people with a goal of discouraging students in the black community from dropping out.
A study done in 2006 found that 40 per cent of black students do not complete high school. [Source: CTV News]
Do you think a race-focused school will help? Is it appropriate to create schools which are tailored to specific races, or should public schools attempt to present a unified and diverse curriculum that is applicable to everyone in modern multicultural North America?
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