Everybody's Got The Right (Assassins)

[originally posted March 31, 2006]

A few weeks or so ago I had the misfortune of spending a couple of hours with my aunt and uncle. The topic of conversation turned to my career and they (along with my parents) pretty much ganged up on me about how I've failed and should just give up and get a real career. Right, less than 2 years after graduating, I'm a failure because I don't have an Oscar yet. A punch in the face is what I felt like passing around. Sitting in a room with ignorant immigrants laughing at me is not my idea of a pleasant afternoon. (Yikes, was that harsh?) After a day of being very angry, I ended up taking a phone call from another uncle, my godfather in fact, in Mexico. A doctor. I didn't think this would go well, but I always did like my mother's side of the family better. To my surprise, he wanted to tell me how great it is that I do what I do. As a doctor he recommends dance to all of his patients. Salsa, ballroom, tango, the whole scene. He's found that people who dance live better lives, are generally happier people, and more healthy. He had the same to say for music, going as far to say that whistling is therapeutic. He encourages his asthmatic patients to learn how to whistle and whistle every day, and has actually proved that it helps them with their breathing. I thought this was all very nice, but what he said next is what hit me. He called himself a doctor of illnesses. He then called me a doctor of the soul.
In the past few weeks, I've actually been trying to justify what the purpose of being an artist is. What exactly do we contribute to society other than entertainment? We don't save any lives, I tell myself. But that's not true. A story about someone overcoming adversity - like the story of Traci Abbott, a homely, overweight teen who was on the brink of suicide but falls in love with the sexy pool boy who marries her on Y&R in the early 80s - can inspire people to take control of their lives. A story of alcohol or drug abuse can save a life, just ask the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210. Even with cases such as these (albeit cheesy ones, if not effective), I was still semi-doubting myself. And then that phone call came along from the good side of the family and gave me reassurance that I will never forget.
I am a doctor of the soul.