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Case Study
 CHAPTER 20
BENJAMIN, TV PRESENTER
(Excerpts from the book)
Benjamin is a TV presenter. He had been presenting a very popular programme for years. Ten years ago, when the programme was set up, he was selected to be the presenter from 10 short-listed, final applicants. The job competition was extremely fierce. Benjamin won the competition based on his own qualities, capabilities, and image. A few months after he began presenting the programme, the public welcomed him. The viewing rate of the programme increased dramatically, and the programme became well-known over the whole nation.
However, what was behind the programme’s success was the huge effort he had to make; it was the hardest road he had ever explored or travelled. It was a weekly programme, and for each week’s presentation, he and his colleagues had to prepare for two weeks. This meant that he had to spend extra time and do extra work for each week’s programme. After beginning this job, he never took a day’s break or any holidays. Furthermore, this programme was not just entertainment, but critical reflections on the real world and on people’s real lives, which were designed and planned by well-known sociologists and educators. Benjamin was not a specialist in this area, as his Bachelor’s degree was in journalism. He lacked the in-depth knowledge of sociology, politics, culture and history, which were widely involved in the programme content, so this was a fundamental challenge for him. Eventually, for each week’s programme, Benjamin would collect large amounts of related data and materials, read them thoroughly, write down his research notes, and then discuss them with the specialists and his colleagues. He worked extremely hard to meet the requirements of the programme and to satisfy the demands of the viewers. This made him very tired, but he was very happy with his achievement.
This situation lasted for two years, and then problems with the programme emerged. Several similar programmes at other TV stations appeared and competed against Benjamin’s programme. In the meantime, the viewers’ expectations of the programme increased, and as a result, the viewing rate of the programme declined significantly. Benjamin and his colleagues tried many ways to stop the decline, but they could not reverse the trend. Benjamin started to panic. He felt that he was totally responsible for the decline in the viewing rate, and he hated that he could not save the programme. He became very anxious and worried, could not eat, and lost more and more weight. He could not sleep and had to rely on sleeping pills every night, but he could only sleep for two to three hours with the pills. His mood became much poorer and his wife and parents often found him staring at something outside the window for hours with a look of heavy burdens on his mind.
He asked the doctors for help and began to take anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medicines. However, 18 months after using these medications, he found all the medications, including the sleeping pills, no longer had any positive effect on him. Every night he lay in bed and watched the ceiling and repeatedly counted numbers until the next morning. He could not fall asleep even for a few minutes. Because of such serious insomnia, he completely lost his appetite. He only drank a glass of water in the mornings before going to work. He could not concentrate on his job. When he was in a talk show with two academic guests, he could not understand what the guests said. He was so sad that when he went home, he felt that he had lost confidence in his ability to survive in the world. He hit his head on the wall and hated that he was totally useless.
In order not to affect his wife’s sleep, he slept in another bedroom. Every night after dinner, he would shut himself in the bedroom, lie in bed and stare at the ceiling in the dark. His head was very painful, and he thumped his head with groans. Fearing the possibility of his suicide, his parents moved into his home to accompany him. They continually comforted him with tears, but their efforts had little effect on his symptoms. One night, his father found his son sitting on the window frame and staring at the dark sky. His father was shocked. He stumbled alongside and held his son firmly in his arms. Feeling his father’s shaking, Benjamin sobbed, ‘Dad, my life is so miserable, and I wish I could free myself from the bitterness.’
His parents’ hearts were torn with the nearly crazy illness of their son. They could not understand why their son, such a kind, honest, frank, and excellent man, should receive such a life penalty. It was totally unfair, they thought. They determined to help their son cure his anxiety disorder.
With the advice of the process experts, they started a journey of natural therapy for their son.
……(omitted)
Within a year after he left his job, Benjamin felt that his body was much stronger and the symptoms of depression and anxiety were improved enormously. He returned to the TV station and presented a new programme.
…(omitted) His anxiety disorder was completely gone. Seeing this fundamental change in him, his parents and his family could not be happier.
(Picture: Edenpics.com (retouched)) |
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