“You and the show have been the great love of my life, what I bring with me is gratitude, gratitude for the opportunity to have done this work.” These were some of the last statements of this great lady, Oprah Winfrey after the spectacular finale of her 25 years show on television. Last week, the third week of May, witnessed the outpour of love and appreciation for this “lonely little girl from Mississippi” who rose on television to be acclaimed as the “queen of talk shows.”
A spectacular presentation that lasted three and one half hours and attended by more than twenty thousand guests who were lucky to get entrance tickets to the United Center of Chicago, and well known celebrities from movies, television and other media was later on shown on television for two days in a one hour show. The acclaim was overwhelming coming from all walks of life and not only from the United States but from all over the world.
Government officials from high offices to people from the street all had something heart-warming to say about Oprah Winfrey.
Who is Oprah Winfrey? She was described in countless ways but some are more ear catching than others. She came from the backwoods of Mississippi, raised by her grandmother who from childhood, knew that she was going places that she was not going to live forever in that home wherein there was no running water. At an early age, she caught the attention of some people who helped nurture her and whom she never forgot like her Grade 4 teacher, Mrs Duncan who came to her 25th celebration of her talk show on television.
Hers was a life of struggle which she is not ashamed to tell and retell. She had the courage to confess how she was sexually abused in childhood that led to her passionate fight to make others rise from the same bitter experience e without shame and make something of their lives. She devoted her life and felt that she had not done enough in fighting molestation and rape of children. The testimonies of victims of this horrific crime and what Oprah had done to make them face the issue are the proofs of Oprah’s efforts to overcome this evil in our society.
The words of praise given by those who had the opportunity to talk, celebrity or otherwise, showed the extreme variety of ways Oprah had touched individual lives.
“I love you for your ability in bringing out the best in people,” said Simon Cowell, the sharp-tongued ex judge in “American Idol”. From Rosie O’Donnell: “you saved me from depression by bringing in Dr. Phil in your show. Maria Shriver thanked her for her kindness, support and telling the truth.
From Tyler Perry: “Oprah is pushing her future forward with the wind of God at her back.”
“Oprah has always believed that if you have something good, share it with others”, commenting on Oprah’s generosity, Gayle King her best friend said.
The show which started on September 8, 1986 explored diverse topics that needed extraordinary courage to handle: racism, discrimination, drugs, poverty, homelessness, literacy and education, scandals, politics, fashion, topics that people are afraid of or ashamed of as well as topics individual as well as society are proud of, etc. They were all incorporated in the 4561 shows wherein Oprah Winfrey was always present and leading! Her honesty and courage to stand for the reality and the truth have endeared her to her audience.
The well-known and well loved Barbara Walters mentioned that it took her only two years to shoot to stardom as a talk show host. She has gained the goodwill and admiration of co-hosts in television, male and female.
It is not a secret that Oprah Winfrey is a multi-millionaire. She is an astute business woman who is in “Forbes list of wealthiest people in the world” and yet no one seems to begrudge her of her wealth. People know that she has a mansion in California and she travels in her own private jet. But she does not walk around sporting a twenty-carat diamond ring.
According to her partner, Stedman “this is the lady who still brings her own lunch to work.” She seems to be at home with all kinds of people from all walks of life. What are often evident are her compassion and her interest in listening to people talking to her.
Oprah /Winfrey did not travel through a path of roses in getting to where she is at present. She had three barriers, to overcome which she did splendidly: She was poor, a female and black. She has repeatedly mentioned that she was very fortunate in life to have been this successful. But the saying that success is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration applies to Oprah.
Or perhaps she has more than one percent inspiration. Her tenacity in pursuing the accomplishments of her goals must have pushed her to the untiring efforts she has displayed in all her endeavours. She possesses the courage to fight for what she thinks is right. She once brought to her show members of the Klu Klux Klan who told her that she descended from monkeys. Two of them came back recently to apologize. She has been very generous with her wealth that she has opened a school for girls that she supports, has granted scholarships to young men and women who would not have completed their education without her financial support, granted homes to families who would have remained without roofs over their heads. She had taken her fans to trips as far as Australia.
To Oprah, she believes that what are very important are our responsibilities for us. “Nobody but you is responsible for your life.” She believes that our feeling of unworthiness is the greatest barrier in our lives. That is why it is important for us to listen to people to give validation to those who feel unworthy
And probably, the greatest assets that Oprah possesses are her humility and sense of gratitude. She looks back and thanks God and her fellow men and women for all her blessings.
