Category: A Spiritual Look At All Forms Of Entertainment…

Is there life after death? That’s an age-old question that countless numbers of people have wanted to know for thousands of years. It’s also been the premise of TNT’s new summer television show appropriately titled “Proof”.

I was skeptical at best when I saw an early preview for this new series mostly because I’m a firm believer that something exists beyond this plane. What is it? I don’t know. But I didn’t really want to tune into a weekly fictional drama that might be slanted towards proving an afterlife doesn’t exist. I’m happy to report that wasn’t the case.

“Proof” stars Jennifer Beals as Dr. Carolyn Tyler, who is a very skilled heart surgeon incredibly dedicated to her career. After being initially approached by billionaire Alan Turing (Matthew Modine) and told he’s cancer-stricken and desires to know what happens after one dies, she indicates she really doesn’t know. That’s when the viewer sees a quick flash of her own near-death drowning experience (NDE) from years ago. When Turing says he wants to hire her to investigate cases to discover whether there’s actually life after death or not, she instantly balks at the idea and graciously declines. Like many of the doctors she works with, Carolyn tends to believe in science and fights the idea that anything beyond death even exists. But when her boss, Dr. Charles Richmond (Joe Morton), strongly suggests she aid Turing in whatever he needs solely because of the money Turing plans on investing into their hospital, she reconsiders for him. After accepting Turing’s offer, she then forms a team consisting of Dr. Zed Badawi (Edi Gathegi) and Janel Ramsey (Caroline Kaplan), who together go on to explore various events and instances of possible life after death.

Probably the most fascinating element of this new series is the fact that Dr. Tyler has her own hidden agenda. Not only because of her own NDE, but also because she lost her son in a car accident when she was driving the two of them some years prior. Struggling to move on and forgive herself, she hopes to find out whether her son lives on in some afterlife or whether his death was his ultimate end.

While I’ve never had an NDE myself, nor had any experience of seeing ghosts or anything else beyond this plane of reality, I’ve done enough research over the years to feel there’s got to be something beyond this life, I just don’t know what it is. Watching “Proof” reminded me of many of the books I’ve read about this subject and enthralled me completely through each of its 10 episodes.

There are plenty of moments where I’ve wished myself that I had my own proof of an afterlife, especially as of late over my frustration with all the pain I’ve been going through for so long now. But alas, I’m in the dark like most of us are here and do my best to live my life with faith that hopefully something really is beyond this life. Whether my Higher Power chooses to ever reveal any of that to me during the rest of this existence or not remains to be seen. Until then, I’m going to continue watching well-written television shows such as “Proof” because it shows like this one that ultimately help me to keep the faith that life after death truly does exist.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

I’ve been hit or miss when it comes to the films done by the Wachowski siblings. If you’ve seen The Matrix or either of its sequels, then you’ve already witnessed as I have, the incredible originality from them as both writers and directors. I felt the same sense of awe with them when I watched Cloud Atlas as well. But I became somewhat disenchanted after watching their work in Speed Racer and Jupiter Ascending. This is why I had very mixed feelings when I heard over a year ago that they were collaborating with Netflix to create a new scripted television series peculiarly titled Sense8. But I’m happy to report now, just over a year later, that I’ve actually finished watching season one and thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of its 12 episodes.

While I’m not sure if I can truly do Sense8 the justice it deserves without spoiling anything, I will say that it took me at least four of its episodes to become completely hooked. The series begins with the scene of Angelica Turing (Daryl Hannah) sitting on an old mattress in a very run down church, looking very much like a junkie. Suddenly a man named Jonas Maliki (Naveen Andrews) appears and tells her she knows what she needs to do to save the others. She immediately pulls a gun out and holds it towards herself when another man named Mr. Whispers (Terrence Mann) abruptly shows up and tries to convince her not to do it. The viewer at this point has no idea whether these men are actually there with her or are simply figments of her imagination. But when Mr. Whispers walks into the church a few minutes later with several armed men, Angelica takes her life and we’re led to believe she was just a crazy person. Shortly thereafter her death though, 8 people from around the world begin getting visions of her and of each other, as somehow they’re now all connected. When they begin to realize just how connected they can become with each other, they also find themselves being hunted one by one by the very strange Mr. Whispers who seemingly has unique abilities himself. The viewer is then catapulted into a series that’s filled with everything from action, to an edge of your seat thriller, to comedy, to a heart-filled drama.

I must make a point to say that Sense8 really does a wonderful job representing and connecting so many different types of people to each other through its main cast of 8. They all come from various ages, races, creeds, colors, sexes, national origins, religions, gender identities and sexual orientations. Capheus (Ami Ameen) is a black man from Nairobi, Sun Bak (Doona Bae) is an Asian woman from Seoul, Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton) is a transgender woman from San Francisco, Kala Dandekar (Tina Desai) is an Hindu woman from Mumbai, Riley Blue (Tuppence Middleton) is an Icelandic female DJ living in London, Wolfgang Bogdanow (Max Riemelt) is a German male locksmith and safe-cracker living in Berlin, Lito Rodriguex (Migeul Angel Silvestre) is a closeted Spanish actor living in Mexico City, and Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith) is a male police officer from Chicago. Ultimately I believe this is how all television shows and movies should be, giving us a great picture of the entire diversity that our planet has become.

When I finished watching the last episode of Sense8, I was glad that the series helped to reinforce one of my own spiritual beliefs, that somehow I too am connected to everyone and everything here on Earth. And while there may be some science fiction and fantasy elements drawn into this show that go a little beyond those beliefs, I’ve always felt that each of us here can tap into the energy and resources from each other to help us all grow closer to the Light.

So if you happen to be looking for an exciting and original show that does a superb job demonstrating not only how we all are connected, but also representing so much of our world in an unbiased way, then I encourage you to check out the Wachowki’s Sense8 on Netflix. Doing so might just bend your mind and leave you thinking, and also wanting more. (Note: Netflix gave the green light already for Season 2!)

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

Watching the movie “Amy”, a documentary about the life of eclectic singer Amy Winehouse, was quite challenging for me. While the film itself was an incredible montage of the fractured life she lived, it was also a harsh reminder of all the people I’ve sponsored or known in recovery that never made it.

Lately it truly seems as if people are dropping like flies inside and outside the recovery world, each dying from self-inflicted causes that could have been prevented by getting some help through the 12 Steps, therapy, or some other self-help outlet. “Amy” is no different, as it’s an extremely stark portrayal of just one of the many who have gone down that road, avoiding doing any work on themselves and instead hoping their problems would just go away on their own. This is specifically why I was against going to see this movie because I see this time and again, week after week through my life in recovery. But, due to a promise I made to my partner that I’d go see it with him (Amy Winehouse is one of his favorite all-time singers), I reluctantly headed to a local theater about a week ago to catch a matinee of it.

I must say it really was difficult sitting there in my seat seeing Amy Winehouse avoid the issues that plagued her the most, one mainly being a mostly absent father from her childhood. What was ironic though, was that when her fame began to grow, her father took a more active role in her life, but from what mostly appeared to be purely selfish interests. In fact, one of Amy’s most well-known songs is “Rehab”, which originated out of her father telling her she didn’t need to go to one and that she’d be just fine.

What I didn’t know about Amy’s life was that she also suffered from bulimia since the age of 15. That condition combined with her alcohol and drug issues, as well as the emotional demons that plagued her silently from within for most of her life, eventually took its final toll on her at 27 years old.

The documentary really does a fantastic job showing all the things I see on such a regular basis nowadays in my recovery from addiction life. So many come into the rooms and hope for a magic cure, wanting a wand to be waved and all their own demons to suddenly disappear. I too would have loved that to happen, but it never did and I only grew worse waiting for that just like Amy did.

Alcohol and drugs, and many other addictions are great temporary relievers of pain, but they also inevitably only lead to one conclusion, death. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones, having learned there is freedom from addictions, as well as mental and emotional disorders, but it takes a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, Amy chose to avoid doing that and instead numbed herself from all her pain until it took her life in 2011.

Watching this film, it was easy to want to blame all her problems and her ultimate demise on her dad or a number of other things like the toxic guy she dated and even married or the pressures of being famous. But the sad truth is that the only person who could have changed any of it was Amy and she never tried to. Instead she clung to codependent relationships and simultaneously submersed herself into her music and alcohol and drugs. The most intensely painful moment for me though while watching her life on the big screen was when she went up on stage in one of her final concerts and was so drunk she couldn’t even sing. Hearing the boos from an audience who had no idea just how sick she was spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically was quite hard to swallow.

Until someone either goes through what Amy went through themselves or encounters it with a very close friend or loved one, they’re never going to understand just how tough it is to battle addictions and/or mental disorders. Thankfully I’ve endured both and find myself getting a little emotional now as I write these final words, thinking about all the wonderful souls like Amy who never were able to rise above them. My only hope is that more people will try to understand, will go see more movies like “Amy”, and will stop judging and blaming what they think causes deaths like hers.

The fact will always remain that the only person who can ultimately change any of it, is the person who’s sick. They have to be the one who seeks help. Regrettably Amy did not, and neither did four of my former sponsees who died in similar fashion. My heart and prayers go out to all those like them who have perished like this, especially you Amy Winehouse, because you truly had such a beautiful gift that blessed so many like my partner. While I’m sad you’re gone now, I am grateful to say I understand a little better some of the pain you went through during your life, all because of a well-done documentary named “Amy”.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson