FROM THE EDITORS April 23, 2007 Issue

CONSENT TO LIFE

FOR THOSE STRUGGLING to cope with the loss of loved ones or yearning for the assurance that death is not a finality, the investigation of spiritualism has become increasingly popular. The Oprah Winfrey Show, for example, recently devoted an entire hour to featuring three professional mediums and what were perceived to be their successes.

In a related trend, fascination with ghosts and hauntings has others investigating the paranormal. Today's media have been touting both blatant and subtle assurances of communication with an identifiable afterlife. Current network television programs such as Supernatural, Medium, Ghost Whisperer, as well as recent films, deal openly with the supernatural, ghosts, and unexplained phenomena.

Attractive, capable actors, intriguing dialogue and plot lines, and wildly interesting visual effects, combined, portray spiritualism as natural, harmless—sometimes either comical or quite sophisticated. But at the same time they run the risk of lulling unwitting viewers into accepting that existence is joyless and unpredictable, limited and fleeting, and even that ending one's own life might be worth considering.

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