New memoir showcases Michael J. Fox's optimism: The transformational difference between happiness and joy
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 19 November 2020
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
THE DAILY ARTICLE FOR NOVEMBER 19, 2020
Michael J. Fox's latest memoir showcases his optimistic spirit. Today's podcast reviews his book, then we focus on the transformational difference between happiness and joy and choose the path to the latter in Christ.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the Daily Article podcast, published by the Denison Forum for Culture-Changing Christians. |
| 0:07.8 | To receive the Daily article directly to your email inbox each weekday morning, visit |
| 0:12.4 | thedailyarticle.com. Now here's today's news, discerned differently. |
| 0:19.6 | Michael J. Fox is one of the most iconic actors of our generation. |
| 0:24.6 | Whether you remember him from the TV sitcom Family Ties, the movie Back to the Future, or |
| 0:30.6 | his numerous other shows and films, you probably have a mental image of an upbeat, irreverent, |
| 0:35.6 | witty guy. |
| 0:36.6 | And you'd be right. His fourth memoir was |
| 0:39.4 | published on Tuesday. No time like the future, an optimist considers mortality, reads as if Fox |
| 0:46.4 | is talking directly to us. He tells the now familiar story of his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease |
| 0:52.9 | at the age of 29, and the decades he has battled |
| 0:56.6 | its effects. He has become a world-leading activist for treatments and a cure, creating a foundation |
| 1:02.6 | which has funded $1 billion in Parkinson's research over the years. But Fox also tells of surgery |
| 1:09.3 | two years ago to remove a benign tumor from his spinal cord, |
| 1:13.7 | a difficult procedure that was successful, but required him to relearn how to walk as a result. |
| 1:19.9 | Four months later, he fell in his Manhattan home, causing a spiral fracture of his left arm that required |
| 1:26.4 | 19 pins in a plate to stabilize. He describes |
| 1:30.3 | eloquently his gratitude for his wife, Tracy, and her courage, grace, and wisdom that has sustained |
| 1:36.6 | him through their decades of marriage. His love for his four children and his close friends is |
| 1:41.9 | tangible. Through it all, his trademark optimism shines through. |
| 1:47.0 | In fact, it is fair to say that optimism comes close to a faith commitment for Fox. |
| 1:54.0 | At one point, Fox states that he is not a subscriber to any particular orthodoxy. However, he speaks of optimism as |
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