Hale Named Bloomsburg Coach

James Perrins Sr.

Tuesday, December 22, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 10A QUICK WORDS: EDITORIAL 





`It's A Wonderful Life' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 enduringly inspirational &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; EDITORIAL &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Charles and Diana split up. Muzzle-flashes wink through the night in many &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 American cities. And when filmmaker Frank Capra died a year ago, among his
last quotes were the words, "Life doesn't mean anything." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yes, in the end even the director of "It's A Wonderful Life" had his
doubtsBut Capra's masterwork endures. Despite real-life war, despite real-life
poverty, "Wonderful Life" shows up on television Christmas after Christmas, a
visual Christmas carol with all the staying power of its musical counterparts.
It remains on many people's lists of all-time favorite movies -- including
ours. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here's why. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As events around the world show, life is seldom wonderful. Life more often
is mundane. There's little "wonderful" about a jangling alarm clock, a traffic
jam, or a humdrum job, those daily fixtures of most people's lives. Add
sickness, unemployment or a failing marriage, and you've got the makings of
real misery. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But there are moments... oh, there are moments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Psychologists call them "peak experiences," those rare minutes or hours
when the world makes total sense. Everyone has them. They're the moments you
remember, even decades later, with a hint of a smile. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe it was the walk on which your dream partner said she loved you. Maybe
it was the get-together with friends at which the conversation soared. Maybe
it was the camp-out under a million stars, or the bow to thunderous applause
after a high-school play, or the crisp October afternoon spent jumping in the
leaves with a laughing, bright-eyed son. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 These are the moments that make life worth living. As a writer said, you
feel at such times as though you're "standing on the shoulders of giants,"
enjoying a view of the world mere mortals seldom attain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's A Wonderful Life" is a two-hour escalator ride to that lofty plane. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The world softens a bit after that movie. The film's theme -- basically,
"Wake up and smell the roses" -- is so universal, and so grippingly expressed,
that for a few hours after watching, viewers wake up and do just that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We see our own imperfect families through new and more forgiving eyes. We
give a nod of thanks for blessings of our lives, however humble. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And we sense anew the religious roots of the holiday season. Remember, one
of "Wonderful Life's" main characters is an angel. The character fits. For
commercialized as they are, Christmas and Hannukah are religous at heart,
centuries-old celebrations of the mysteries that we in a scientific era still
don't understand. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The alarm jangles the next morning as loudly as a schoolbell; traffic plugs
Interstate 84 as surely as a cork in a bottle. But for a few brief, shining
moments, perhaps stretching over your morning commute, neither alarms nor
traffic matter. "It's A Wonderful Life" has once again escorted you to the
place where all is well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then the feeling fades. But who cares? You've stood on the shoulders and
glimpsed the magical view. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And that, after all, is a lot to get out of watching a simple movie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`it's A Wonderful Life' 
Enduringly Inspirational 
Editorial 
Charles And Diana Split Up. Muzzle-flashes Wink Through The Night In Many 
American Cities. And When Filmmaker Frank Capra Died A Year Ago, Among His 
Last Quotes Were The Words, "life Doesn't Mean Anything." 
Yes, In The End Even The Director Of "it's A Wonderful Life" Had His Doubts.