Karma Don't Deny Me
| Series | |
|---|---|
| The Other Side | |
| Original Broadcast Date | |
| 7/30/2000 | |
| Cast | |
| Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Mike Meloan, Joe Frank | |
| Format | |
| Karma Style, 60 minutes | |
| Preceded by: | Karma For Dollars |
| Followed by: | Pledge Drive Rough Cuts |
| Purchase | |
"There's a particular woman who lives in my building."
Karma, Don't Deny Me is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series The Other Side. It was originally broadcast on July 30, 2000.
Synopsis
Larry tells of a neighbor, Shirley, who believes in evidence-free medical 'conspiracy theories', astrology, spiritual healing; Larry gets angry and banishes her from his home. Larry challenges spiritual healers visiting her to treat his dog.
8:20: Jack Kornfield talks about how we ignore the goodness of our hearts.[1]
9:20: Mike Meloan tells of meeting an Indian palm reader. When Meloan won't pay him the fee he wants, he yells, 'Don't deny me!'[2]
14:50: Jack Kornfield talks about dealing with difficult situations by imagining that Jesus/Buddha/Mary shows up to take over.[2]
20:50: Joe tells of his job teaching at a private school in NYC, including Kim and their unfortunate date.[3]
40:30: 'The Earth is 1 of 9 planets that revolve around the sun...' Joe describes the vastness of space.[4]
42:10: A drunk harasses Joe's date.[5]
45:20: Joe observes how small things look from an airplane, contrasts that perspective from how the city appears on the land, goes on to comment on the ephemerality of life.[6]
47:50: Jack Kornfield quotes Longfellow, 'If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility',[7] urges upon us loving-kindness.
56:00: Larry tells a joke about a faith healer.
- Larry Block - Woman who lives in the same building is an alternative healer and believes a conspiracy blocks that and Larry argues with he wife about it. Later, Larry has the healers try to cure their dog, but that doesn't help and Larry feels vindicated.
- Jack Kornfield - A different world.
- Mike Meloan - Distracted state leads to an encounter with a man who wants to tell his fortune while touching him. Then offers a stone for improved sexual function. Offers $25 for the readings, but the fortune teller points out a price list that lists $60. Stressful ending and possible magic cursing.
- Kornfield - Meditation on a difficult situation. Divinity within us.
- Long ago, Joe taught at a school and fantasized about other teachers. Dating Kim the kindergarten teacher (this sequence appears elsewhere also.) Another date with a co-worker and an encounter with a drunk person which ruined the evening. The micro-cosmos and macro-cosmos.
- Kornfield - Suffering enough - Everyone betrayed - Turning toward forgiveness - Wishing Loving Kindness to All
- Larry - Tells a story of a faith healer.
Music
- "Black Coffee" - Patricia Kaas (from Café Noir, 1996) | YouTube [8:02]
- "The Beast (Autechre Mix)" - Palmskin Productions (from The Beast Remix, 1995) | YouTube [20:26]
Commentary
This episode is 70% recycled material; only the first and last 2 segments appear first (or at all) in this episode.
Footnotes
- ↑ originally aired in Karma (Part 3)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 originally aired in The Nature Of Things
- ↑ adapted from Pretender
- ↑ originally aired in Cocktails Before Dinner
- ↑ originally aired in When She's Asleep, She Looks Like An Angel
- ↑ originally aired in He Hesitated
- ↑ in the Table-Talk section of his collected prose
