Stories that make me feel sad...

I am overcome by emotion... not because of my own experiences, but by the life of a close friend and a programme on MTV called, 'Flipped'.

I'm quite pleased with MTV. MTV to me all this time was pure fluff. Nothing but an instigator of boring, soulless, pop culture. But with this programme, they have redeemed themselves. At least they're doing something worthwhile with the popularity that they own.

I've watched other episodes before. Young kids are put into situations the opposite of their current lives. On a previous episode, 2 school bullies, one male, another female, were dressed up as nerds and sent to new schools. They experienced first-hand how it felt like to be made fun of and teased by everyone. The experience changed their lives. They realized how their behaviour strongly affects the emotions and well-being of the marginalized. Now they stand up for those being bullied.

In today's episode, they exposed a boy and a girl, both addicted to tobacco, to a life ruined by it. Oral cancer. Emphysema. Tobacco related problems have never really pinched my heart. But the stories told and the tears shed made me cry from within. The closing scene of the Major League hopeful hugging his mother and both of them crying together moved me. More painful was the tearful sharing from a patient of emphysema:

"I have trouble breathing. And I don't sleep well every night because the machine that helps me breathe is so noisy. People think that this disease only affects those 60 or 70. I'm only 41. Emphysema isn't a disease that kills you. It's the effects of emphysema that kill you."

Before the show, I was listening to stories about a close friend. In recent months, his life has collapsed around him. I'm not talking about being dumped. Not talking about a failed business venture. Not talking about betrayal. Not talking about family-related issues. Not talking about misforture. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about all the above, rolled into one flaming ball, hitting you hard where it hurts.

It's odd that I was reading the book of Job just last night. Suffering is the keyword. A good life... flipped. My heart ached for him. Everything just falls in unison. A domino effect. A series of bad choices made, followed by a series of misfortunes. Business venture fails. A run-in with loan sharks. Redemption from friends and family. Lies and deceit. Financial breakdown. Marital stress. Divorce. Mother faces health problems. Loses money that doesn't belong. Accused of stealing. Gossip spreads. Integrity questioned. Image tarnished. Mother-in-law doesn't want to take care of the baby anymore.

Where does one go from here?