Friday, April 15, 2011

COMMENTARY: Pain Is Evitable, Suffering Is Optional

Yesterday the soap community, and even the mainstream press, were shocked by the tragic news that two staple daytime dramas were canceled.  Both ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN have carried great meaning to generations of viewers, having been on the air for 42 years and 41 years, respectively.  The devastation of losing an entertainment program can be tantamount to losing a beloved relative, a friend, a companion, a reliable comfort.  But no matter who or what we lose in our lives, one thing is for certain: pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. 

How do you change suffering? Press here to learn more. 

Damon L. Jacobs is a Licensed Therapist in New York City who specializes in treating depression, addiction, and gay/lesbian issues.  He is also the author of the popular book "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve," currently available at Amazon.com. For more information about scheduling an appointment or a speaking engagement, please email him at [email protected].

**If you are in the New York City area, please come by for Damon's "Fabulous at Forty" workshop on Monday, April 25th, at 8pm, at 208 W. 13th Street, Room 410**

1 comment:

  1. Losing All My Children and One Live to Live is not just losing a primetime show one enjoyed. These are generational threads that have wound around us. All My Children is my childhood, one of the few real connections I have with my mother, it is my childhood friends, it is coming home for lunch to see what Ruth Warrick, Hugh Franklin, and the rest of those greats, along with watching Erica Kane and Mona fighting. One Life to Live (and GH) is late elementary school, middle school, high school, connecting with friends - even when I didn't watch it, I was connected to it. My mother sent me updates on AMC when I was at summer camp for a week at age 11 - I still have the card she mailed.
    I watched for the Tad/Liza friendship, Palmer/Daisy, Nina, Cliff and his little sister (I knew she was great then),Tad and Dixie, Angie and Jesse, Jenny and Tad and Opal
    At this point, I regret pushing my ABC soaps away because I felt it was too much commitment in college - I only returned intermittently, for comfort when I couldn't save my friend from hanging himself, when I had a fight with my mother, or when I really needed to connect with her - I would go to her house and watch with her.
    I have only recently started watching One LIfe again - since I saw Florencia Lozano's play in October - and I realized what I was missing (despite the cheap tricks, the bloated cast, the shallow writing, and the inane editing), at least with such actors as Florencia and Trevor St. John.
    I will watch the remainder of All My Children with my mother, as much as I can through the summer, connecting with her, and while most of the rest of what is on ABC is real crap, I had been enjoying Body of Proof. As good as Dana Delany is, that show is a blip on the radar, not the life companion that ABC soaps have been.
    All My Children and One Life to Live are not just shows, they define us in many different ways.

    ReplyDelete