Category: A Spiritual Look At All Forms Of Entertainment…

I really miss television shows like “Touched By An Angel” and “Highway To Heaven” and a bunch of others that were spiritually-centered and truly uplifting back in the 80’s and 90’s, because it seems as if those types of shows aren’t quite as popular anymore in mainstream society. Rather, what appears to connect the most with viewers these days are programs filled with crime, drama, blood, and violence. Occasionally though networks have attempted to bring some of that good-natured programming back through series like “Joan of Arcadia” and “Eli Stone”. Unfortunately, each have never lasted more than two seasons because the Nielsen ratings weren’t high enough to continue justifying their production. This year though, another has emerged that really has been lifting my spirits again. It’s called “Kevin (Probably) Saves The World” and is airing on ABC on Tuesday nights at 10pm.

Starring Jason Ritter as Kevin, the show is about a guy who has pretty much lost everything after attempting suicide. Because of it, his sister Amy (played by Joanna Garcia Swisher) agrees to let him move back to his hometown and live with her hoping it will help him get back on his feet. On Kevin’s first night home, a meteor strikes the Earth nearby Amy’s house, which Kevin and his sister’s daughter Reese (played by Chloe East) quickly investigate. Upon arriving at the crash site, Kevin races into the debris and decides to touch the piece of rock that lay at the center of it. As soon as his fingers connect with the glowing black object, he is sent soaring through the air and knocked unconscious. When he awakes, he meets Yvette (played by Kimberly Herbert Gregory), an angel of God, who tells him he’s the only remaining righteous soul and that his task is to find the other 35, as each are meant to help protect humanity and save the world. But for Kevin, who has lived a far from righteous type of life, at least in his mind, a journey of spiritual self-discovery and a somewhat resistant attitude towards a new life of servitude to God leads to the beginning of a series that’s actually been quite moving, funny, and uplifting.

Why I find myself so connected to this show and the few other spiritually-centered ones I’ve watched over the years like it, is the idea of an average person like me becoming utilized by God to do some type of special work on the planet. I too attempted suicide about six years ago and definitely have not lived a very righteous life up until just after that dark period of my life. But now, I’m doing my very best to focus all my energy on cleaning my life up and being a vessel of servitude to God, as it’s my hope that one day I will have a special spiritual mission materialize as well. Given all the pain and frustration I’ve gone through on my spiritual journey these past few years to head in that direction, I have looked for inspiration to keep me going and God-centered television shows have been one of those avenues for me.

That’s why I hope “Kevin (Probably) Saves The World” will actually make it beyond a season or two, and break that spiritual television show curse that I’ve seen constantly happening over the past decade or so. It really is a rare thing to find myself feeling so moved to tears of joy and laughter while watching a program on TV, and this truly uplifting show has already done that in its first few episodes. So, if you haven’t checked this series out yet and enjoy spiritually-centered shows like “Touched By An Angel” or “Highway To Heaven”, then give this one a chance, as I’m sure if you do, you’ll find yourself being uplifted like I am and isn’t that something we all need a lot of right now in this world anyway?

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Do movie critics ever sway your decision to go see a movie in the theater? And do you pay attention to things like the Rotten Tomatoes score, which is a percentage rating of all the critic’s reviews for each film? Or are you someone who sees a movie regardless of whether it has positive or negative reviews, simply because it interests you?

I ask these questions because I’ve noticed over the past year, I’ve gone to a number of movies that were poorly reviewed by plenty of critics, yet I still thoroughly enjoyed them. Movies such as “Collateral Beauty”, “A Dog’s Purpose”, “Ghost In The Shell”, “King Arthur”, and “Everything, Everything” to name a few. Personally, I don’t like reading critic’s reviews of films for this very reason, as I don’t want to become biased by their opinion, even when the majority of them may be saying the same thing.

Watching movies is like viewing a piece of art. It moves a person individually in a unique way because of where they are at in life and what they’ve gone through. Take “Collateral Beauty” for example. It was loathed by the majority of critics in this country, each claiming it was far too unbelievable. Me, on the other hand, went into the movie with no expectations and emerged several hours lately spiritually charged and feeling quite uplifted. Why so many critics didn’t like it, I have no idea. But my point is that if I had listened to all those negative reviews or based my decision on its Rotten Tomatoes score, which in this case was a measly 14% (meaning 86% of the critics in this country hated it), I probably wouldn’t have gone to the theater and never known how much it would have touched my soul.

Another case in point is with a film I just went to the other day, that being the 2017 remake of “Flatliners”. It actually received a dreadful score of 4% on Rotten Tomatoes (meaning 96% of critics shunned it), yet I was determined to see it anyway because of my great love of the original. And you know what, I absolutely adored it. I appreciate the director’s take on the update, as much as I did the original. I also liked the younger cast of actors and actresses and I treasured its underlying message on forgiveness, one that moved me so much that I cried by the end of it, because so often in my life my ego refused to forgive both myself and others, the result of which made me greatly suffer on my spiritual journey.

Thus, my point is this. If we always base our life’s decisions on what other people say, we may miss out on beautiful opportunities for our Higher Guidance to show up in our lives and bless us in ways we might never expect. Movies truly are like art and appreciation for them can vary greatly from one person to the next. Just because the majority of critics despise a film doesn’t mean you will too. So, my suggestion is this. When you find your spirit perk up while watching a preview of it or reading a promotion about it, go see it when it comes out, even if the majority of critics say to avoid it. You might just discover a diamond in the rough in the process and a greater connection to your Higher Self as well. And wouldn’t that alone be worth it on your spiritual journey in life?

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

I was never really able to imagine what it might feel like to lose a limb permanently. That was until I watched Jake Gyllenhaal tackle the roll of Jeff Bauman in the 2017 movie “Stronger”.

On April 15, 2013, Jeff Bauman was standing near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, waiting for the girl he wanted to spend his life with cross it. As he proudly displayed his colorful hand-made sign, the first of two terrorist pipe bombs went off next to him, completely severing off both of his legs from below the knees. The heart-wrenching, but inspiring journey of Jeff Bauman’s long road to recovery after this terrible tragedy is the basis of the film “Stronger”.

Jeff Bauman didn’t feel much like a hero after he lost both of his legs, in fact, he felt completely useless in a world that no longer made sense to him. Yet, somehow, I believe it was God who saw fit to use this senseless tragedy and turn Bauman into a symbol of hope for so many, including me. As I watched the 2-hour film, tears constantly dripped from the corners of my eyes because I saw a human being who suffered far greater than I ever have, find a way to keep going, no matter how painful his circumstances.

Suffering from incredible PTSD, having to relearn some of the most basic bodily functions like walking, bathing, and going to the bathroom, and even just trying to fit in, in a world that can often be so judgmental, Jeff beat the odds and never fully gave up. Much of that is in part due the support that I believe God orchestrated in his life that included his girlfriend, Erin Hurley (played by Tatiana Maslany), his friends and family, and a city who all surrounded him with enough love to help him keep going, even when he didn’t want to.

While I may still have all of my limbs intact, I have suffered immensely from chronic pain and physical limitations like Bauman, that have sidelined me from living a life like I once did many years ago. There have been far too many days where I’ve wanted to give up just like Jeff did at times after losing his legs, yet God saw fit to bring into my life a number of people who have offered me plenty of love and support to help me not give up, like I believe he did for Jeff too.

Thanks to my partner Chris, my best friend Cedric, my spiritual teacher Manin, two therapists named Katie and Linda, friends I’ve met since moving to Toledo like Karen, Steve, Robb, Michael, Les, and Frank, a polarity practitioner named Caryn, a kinesiologist and nutritionist named Joel, several acupuncturists named Kimberlee, Shelly, and Yelena, and an individual named Randy who was the one who initially helped me to get through this when it all began, I have always felt supported in some way, even through the worst of pain, to keep going and never give up.

Like Jeff Bauman quickly discovered after waking up in the hospital with his legs gone, it is so easy to feel hopeless when the mind and body are riddled in tons of pain and agony, day in and day out, for weeks, months, and even years. But Bauman eventually embraced his tragedy and turned it into something that has become inspirational for countless others and this is the very reason why I continue to blog about my healing journey, hoping to do something similar for others.

“Stronger” is definitely the most moving film I’ve seen in a very long time and is a tearful one that really can bring hope to the hopeless. I’m extremely thankful to its director, David Gordon Greene, and its screenplay writer, John Pollono, for taking Jeff Bauman’s book (titled the same) written by both him and Bret Witter, and turning it into a movie that I know will move many hearts.

If you are someone who has been suffering in pain for some time, I encourage you to go see this movie, and know that even in your worst of circumstances, I wholeheartedly believe that God is working in your life to help you keep going, just like he has been with Jeff Bauman and me.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson