Oprah Winfrey Once Thought About Suicide (CNN Piers Morgan Tonight): Second Chances For All Of Us
Posted: Tuesday, January 18, 2011
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
My feelings for Oprah, I will admit a ambivalent. On the one hand, I admire her for everything she has accomplished and her positive influence on the world. On the other hand, I think she has a big ego but how could she not? How could one with wealth and power not have a big ego? One has to have the confidence to surge ahead on new paths and sometimes those paths are the less traveled.
At the age of 14, she was sent to live with her Father in Nashville, Tennessee. She stated that her father laid down some rules, but unbeknown to him, she was already pregnant.
When her father stated “'I would rather see a daughter of mine floating down the Cumberland River,' he said, 'than to bring shame on this family and the indecency of an illegitimate child," Winfrey said, quoting her father,” she thought about taking her own life (as quoted on CNN, Piers Morgan Tonight).
However, she lost the infant boy at birth at made a wise decision; She decided that this would be a second chance for her.
We all could take a lesson from this successful icon and look at life’s tragedies and failures as a second chance.
Maybe Oprah’s past experiences caused her to say this: “Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.”
Not only is Oprah wealthy, but she has had a huge influence on American culture. Her “book club” has nudged us all into reading more. She said “Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.”
She has also had an influence on politics: “estimated that Winfrey's endorsement was responsible for between 423,123 and 1,596,995 votes for Obama in the Democratic primary alone, based on a sample of states that did not include Texas, Michigan, North Dakota, Kansas, or Alaska (wikepedia.com).
Every day is a second chance for everyone of us. Oprah once said, “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)I love Oprah too. She has got so much to offer. Seems that certain icons did have a tough background, they made it better at the second chance on a daily basis.
I have noticed this happen with most of the celebrities around the world. They all go through some kind of suffering or other. Thank you Fran. It was really very nice. I enjoyed every word.
I didn't know Oprah's story, thanks for sharing it. I admire her a lot - she's always been so honest about herself, and I love the way she encourages people to pursue their dreams. Also, she just has never become jaded or corrupted by her wealth and influence. I find that remarkable.
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