UPFRONT October 15, 2007 Issue

Don't fall asleep

INGRID PESCHKE, MANAGING EDITOR

In the classic 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum's children's novel, there's a scene where the main characters have almost reached their goal—the Emerald City—when they suddenly find themselves overcome with fatigue. Unbeknown to them, the Wicked Witch of the West has cast a spell to make them fall into a deep sleep in a field of poppies. But the Good Witch of the North rescues them just in time, sending a cold snow shower that awakens them out of their trance.

Beyond pure entertainment value, the film's message is a solid reminder to remain alert to the nature of good and evil—to be awake to what forwards progressive thought and action, as well as to what thwarts our progress by lulling us into states of inaction and fear.

No one wants to entertain thoughts that don't promote progress or good. And being vigilant about detecting them is half the battle. This week's Sentinel is designed to get us all thinking more about where our thoughts originate and how we can be more awake to the right ones.

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