"MEDIUM"

THE ONLY THING YOU CAN COUNT ON, IS CHANGE. ISN'T THAT

WHAT THE BUZZ WORD HAS BEEN LATELY? WELL, IT IS

CERTAINLY TRUE IN MY CASE. THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT

UPHEAVAL IN OUR WORLD, OUR LIVES, AND IN OUR PERCEPTION

OF WHAT  CAN BE RELIED UPON, AND WHAT CAN NOT.

ANY NUMBER OF MY ELDERLY ACQUAINTANCES FEAR THE

CHANGES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE, AND I DON'T THINK

THAT TREPIDATION IS LIMITED  TO THEM ONLY. I HAVE

SEEN YOUNGSTERS WALKING AROUND WITH ANXIOUS

LOOKS, AND NORMALLY CAPABLE ADULTS IN THEIR

PRIME, WHO FOR NO OBVIOUS REASON, WORRY ABOUT

THE MOST INSIGNIFICANT DETAILS.

IT IS A SHAME. FOR FEAR OF WHAT MIGHT BE,MANY OF

ALL AGE GROUPS HAVE FORGOTTEN TO ENJOY LIFE NOW...

THE PROGNOSTICATORS,AND THE SOOTHSAYERS HAVE

NOW COME TO THE FOREFRONT, PROCLAIMING DOOM AND

GLOOM, AND UNLIKE EVER BEFORE, PEOPLE ARE LISTENING

TO THEM. THIS IS AN OPEN SECRET, BUT THESE MEDIUMS AND

PALM READERS HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING

OF CIVILIZATION. SOME FEW HAVE BEEN GENUINE.

OTHERS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OTHERS, ARE FAKES.

THEY USED TO PREY ON THE IMPRESSIONABLE AND THE

INSECURE, WHOSE VERY FOUNDATION OF THEIR EXISTENCE

HAD BEEN SHAKEN TO THE CORE. RICH WIDOWS, ANXIOUS

FOR DIRECTION, WEALTHY MEN GOING THROUGH MID-LIFE

CRISIS...THESE WERE THE TARGETS.

BUT,EVER SINCE THINGS BEGAN TO SHIFT, THE AUDIENCE

OF  VULNERABLE "TRUTH" SEEKERS HAS MULTIPLIED.

WHY? HOW? CERTAINLY, OUR FUTURES ARE NO MORE

ENDANGERED, NOR MORE SURE THAN BEFORE, BUT THE

SUGGESTION THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS MIGHT BE

SOMEHOW ENDOWED WITH A GREATER SIGHT INTO THE

KNOWLEDGE OF THINGS TO COME, HAS BEEN HEIGHTENED,

AND EVEN PROMOTED LATELY, IN MOVIES, AND

UNFORTUNATELY , ON TELEVISION.

I CAN SIGHT AT LEAST ONE NEW SHOW, ON NETWORK

T.V. THAT SEEMS TO ENDORSE THE POSSIBILITY THAT

SUCH GIFTS EXIST.

I DO NOT SAY THEY DO NOT.

I MYSELF HAVE HAD MY MOMENTS OF WHAT I WOULD TERM,

WARNINGS. INCIDENTS OF PRECOGNITION THAT TOLD ME

CERTAIN VALUABLE THINGS. HAD I IGNORED MY INSTINCTS,

THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING.

BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THOSE INSTANCES EVERY DAY. I WASN'T

HAVING DREAMS EVERY TIME I CLOSED MY EYES,AND I

CERTAINLY WOULD NEVER, EVER, OFFER MY SERVICES TO

A LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUP TO SOLVE CASES. SUCH GIFTS

COME FROM GOD, AND HE DOESN'T GIVE THEM TO BE

SQUANDERED, MADE LIGHT OF, OR USED TO MAKE MONEY,

OR TO BE BLURTED OUT IN COURTROOMS, OR SPLASHED

ALL OVER THE MEDIA FOR SENSATIONALISM.

NOW, I MUST DIGRESS. I AM NOT SAYING THAT THE PRODUCERS

OF THIS SHOW ARE DOING ANYTHING WRONG OR TRYING

TO SUBVERT SOCIETY. I HAVE A FEELING THAT THEY FOUND

A CLEVER, CUNNINGLY WRITTEN SCRIPT COMBINING THE

PUBLIC'S INTEREST IN COP SHOWS AND SPIRITUALISM THAT

WORKS, AND KNEW THEY HAD A FRESH NEW TWIST ON A

COUPLE OF OLD THEMES. I'LL EVEN GO A STEP FURTHER,

SO FAR AS TO ADMIT THAT I FOUND IT ENLIGHTENING AND

VERY AMUSING...UNTIL I WATCHED AN EPISODE THAT

STEPPED OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS. A POINT BEYOND WHICH

I COULD NOT SUSPEND MY DISBELIEF,WHICH CAUSED ME

TO TAKE A STEP BACK, AND SAY TO MYSELF, JUST WHAT IS

THIS PROGRAM TRYING TO SAY TO THE AUDIENCE?

ON THE SURFACE, THIS IS HARMLESS FUN. BUT, GOING DEEPER

INTO THE ACTUAL PREMISE, THE MESSAGE IS, YOU DEAR

READER, (OR WATCHER) CAN FIND A PERSON LIKE THIS, AND

WHEN YOU DO, LISTEN AND BELIEVE EVERYTHING THEY SAY.

YOU CAN DEPEND ON THIS KIND OF PERSON.

THIS SHOULD SPARK SOME THOUGHT IN YOU.

THERE IS NO ONE ON EARTH WE ARE TO DEPEND ON SUCH

AS THIS WOMAN. NO ONE. WE ARE TO PUT OUR TRUST IN GOD.

NO OTHER ENTITY, NO OTHER PERSON SHOULD ENGENDER

THIS KIND OF FAITH.

SPIRITUALISM IS BECOMING RAMPANT LATELY, AND THIS

PROGRAM IS FOLLOWING RIGHT ALONG WITH THAT IDEA.

DON'T FORGET, NOT ALL SPIRITUALISM IS GOOD.

THERE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT,AND THEN THERE IS HIS ENEMY.

MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR FAITH IN THE HOLY KIND, ONLY.

OTHERWISE, YOU WILL BE LED DOWN THE PATH TO

DESTRUCTION.

WE WILL CONTINUE THIS EXAMINATION OF THE POWER OF

TELEVISION, AFTER I HAVE HAD A NAP. MY EYES ARE GETTING

BLEARY....

OUI?