Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
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'Thank God I Have Cancer/AIDS/Anorexia'
Posted Apr 10th 2008 2:34PM by Ada Calhoun
Filed under: Media, Bizarre, Controversy
Is it just us, or has it felt like April Fool's Day all month so far? This Radar Online item about the latest self-help trend seems like a SNL skit, but apparently it's real. Horribly, horribly real. Here's the group's website. The spokespeople encourage everyone to express gratitude for the most horrible things that have happened to them.
Radar writes: Lost a loved one? About to die yourself? Got AIDS? Cancel those therapy appointments and drop to your knees. "By sharing compelling accounts of how personal adversities turned into triumphs, the series deems to transform lives through the healing powers of gratitude," the book's press release states.
"Our collection of stories will resonate universal vibrations of healing the globe by delivering a strong message, that gratitude is the key to finding a better self on the other side of pain ... Thank God I have Cancer, Thank God I was Raped, Thank God I have an eating Disorder."
Doesn't it kind of diminish the actual blessings of, say, friends or children or recovery when you're thanking God for your terminal illness, your spouse's death and your brutal mugging too? Are these people trying to psych out God? Try the ol' reverse psychology on the Almighty?
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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. Thank God I have enough common sense not to believe that nonesense. Im sorry for all those who don't. The've just been given an excuse to ruin their lives, and not to have to accept responsibility for doing so. Don't thank god for getting, AIDS, Herpes, Almost killing yourself, etc. These are not god's doing. Live your own life don't let god live it for you, especially if he's going to give you AIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Raggnar Danneskjold at 3:07PM on Apr 10th 2008
2. THE POINT IS THAT HUMANS THEMSELVES ARE BOUND TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR CHOICES AND CHOSEN BEHAVIOR. ALL THE DISEASES ARE CONSEQUENCES OF SOME KIND OF BEHAVIORE, WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS OTHER HUMANS. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DROPPING ON YOUR KNEES AS STILL BE GRATEFULL FOR EVERY SECOND THAT WE EXIST WITHIN LIMITLESS GOD. WE SHOULD DO THAT IF WE HAVE ANYTHING GOOD OR BAD GOING ON OUR LIVES. THE WORD THIS ARTICLE SHOULD USE IS "RELEASE" SINCE WE EXIST WITHIN LIMITLESS GOD, TO RELEASE OUR FEARS, OUR BAD MOMENTS, DISEASES, HOPES, OR LACK THEREOF, WILL FREE US, WILL CLARIFY US, WILL MAKE US LIGHTER AND HAPPIER. WE REALLY DO NOT HAVE TO CARRY THE WORLD'S WEIGH ON OUR SHOULDERS. JUST KEEP MAKING GOOD CHOICES AND HELPING ONE ANOTHER ACHIEVE HAPPINESS.
rivirivi at 3:50PM on Apr 10th 2008
3. Uh, exactly what "choice" does one make to get cancer, or be molested (hey, what about children? do they make the choice to be raped too?!) or lose a loved one. What a bunch of baloney.
Anyone who puts stock in what this web site is selling has a screw loose.
David S. at 4:11PM on Apr 10th 2008
4. Gratitude for horrible occurences in our lives *does not* diminish gratitude for wondrous experiences. In fact, it is more likely to enhance our experience of the more obvious blessings.
Many people (particularly in developed countries) have lost touch with the blessings and opportunities that they possess. The often come to a point of overwork, spiritual apathy, and depression--unsure of what to change in their lives because they "have everything."
Often, it is only when we lose something precious to us--or that we face the loss of something precious (for example...through terminal illness)--that we awaken to what really matters in our lives...our love for friends, family, children, parents.
Expressing gratitude for everything we encounter in life, good AND bad, is optimistic, not irrational. This kind of gratitude acknowledges the reality that as long as we have LIFE we have something to be grateful for. And it is this kind of gratitude that allows us to live life to its fullest.
HeatherD at 4:12PM on Apr 10th 2008
5. Why the hell do they lump being gay in with all of that?
aiden at 6:04PM on Apr 10th 2008
6. No one ask for illnesses nor do they immediately feel any gratitude for being ill. It's a process like anything else. The basic grief process is what comes to mind on how you become willing to let go of the weight as another blogger wrote. It's a form of acceptance more than anything. One never has to like their circumstances, but to accept it. Thanking creation for the many spiritual opportunities learned while going through the process.I do not know what the stats are on this, but I have heard of many miraculous stories, rather if it is simple happiness to remission and other enlighten stories.
Peni at 4:35PM on Apr 10th 2008
7. We cannot be truely happy until we are truely grateful.
We choose our life and the lessons we will come here to learn and grow from...long before we are born.
Being grateful for it all is a sign that we are finally "getting it".
I have never know a person with empathy for his fellow man who has not been through trials in his own life.
To experience is to understand.
If you want to be closer to God, try being grateful,
no matter what. You will find yourself at peace with God and the world.
Annie at 5:24PM on Apr 10th 2008
8. It sounds that this is just another spin on an old scam.Spiritual healers.People are told to just quit therapy and fall down on knees.There are untolds thousands of stories of people who died this way. and angry families who tried to sue and were told that their loved one simply didn't have enough faith [ defense lawyers jargon].yes,this is actually a major defense strategy when religion enters the court room.If you need good info on major news coverage reporting such court proceedings,I will be glad and direct you to these reports.actually cd's [3?] were put out by christians!{objectivereporting-non-slanted] Everyone should see this video on cd.I'm not affilliated w/no one. Just a disabled vet,on a pension. Yes,for legal reasons i had to put that last clause in there!Smile.I too was a scam victim for years.peace,love.
Robert Klouse at 5:39PM on Apr 10th 2008
9. I doubt all of the metaphysical hooey about "universal vibrations of healing" around the globe... But I do think that it is in the depths of our suffering that we discover our humanity. I remember on 9/11/01, people were helping people, and all of the trivial fluff that seems to define us as individuals (white, black, gay, straight, metro-sexual, trans-species, trekkie or luddite...) just seemed unimportant.
Except of course for Mr Hoard and Rocca who probably slept in, together, until 6PM and then rushed off for an eye-opener at their favorite corner bar- "Bottoms Up"!
Mike at 6:46PM on Apr 10th 2008
10. This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of today, I'm sure tomorrow will bring ever dumber things.
TJ at 7:49PM on Apr 10th 2008
11. unbelievable!!!!!! im mortified.thats why we need a strong conservative in the white house. unfortuneatly we dont have one running but hills and barrack buy into and preach this same type of thinking. thank god for america,our military and our freedoms,not diseases and horrible feelings of those left behind. at least our military die fighting for a cause one of wich is the ability to write such garbage!!!!
martybrorules at 2:26AM on Nov 16th 2009
12. It's getting embarrassing how bloody stupid Americans have become.
Dan at 9:47PM on Apr 10th 2008
13. Being thankful is, when your only child [daughter] is diagnosed with Leukemia and survives a 40% chance of living through a coma, learning how to walk all over again after going through many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Then after a double red blood core stemcell transplant and on the road to recovery, she comes down with pneumonia and is once again handed a 30-40% chance of surviving. God walked with us through the entire ordeal and not once, let us down. PRAYERS and BELIEVING that God is there for you when illnesses strike a person is what takes you to the end of a successful journey.
I thank God everyday for allowing us a second chance at life with my daughter. People are too disconnected to illnesses and what one has to endure just to be able to live. Hate/wars/rascism/arguing or any other negative part in ones life is soooo uncalled for! Learn that one only has a single chance at life, and the choices you make or break are nothing compared to cancer at "no choice", so live live to be happy and you will see that, life can be very beautiful no matter who you are.
God is not to blame for any illness a person gets through your life, but He is to be thanked for ALL of His blessings and miracles He gives us. Take one day at a time and live your life like it was your last day, and be THANKFUL for YOUR miracle of life!
Lynne at 10:07PM on Apr 10th 2008
14. Im all about thanking God but this seemed kind of cult-ish and disturbing.
J at 11:11PM on Apr 10th 2008
15. Yes, there's nothing better than unrelenting physical pain, isolation, poverty, victimization, torture, and above all, being GRACIOUS and grateful about it so that the healthy, wealthy and lucky can feel complacent and like it's all good! No need to help anybody out or anything!
Reminds me of a great Onion article in which a man with cancer refused to die "with dignity."
DO not go gentle into that ...@#$* night! Get mad as hell first!
Then, yeah, if and whenever you can, enjoy what you can. But not because some guru-- or healthy person-- is telling you to, and probably getting rich off of it in the process.
But thank God I can blog-- and that I won the superbowl!
um, huh? at 11:48PM on Apr 10th 2008