Pardon the pun, but hasn't the world gone a bit overboard over the movie "Titanic"? Titanimania is literally draining the already exhausted Korean economy, and in Italy a 12-year-old girl has attended the same 9 p.m. showing of the flick for more than fifty consecutive nights. Considering the duration of the movie, this pre-teen is neglecting both her schoolwork and her family in order to regularly experience what she calls a "beautiful true story."

The true story of the Titanic is not beautiful, but tragic. It is a tragedy which deserves the honor of solemn renown, not the superficial exploitation of Hollywood special effects and the sex appeal of Leonardo DiCaprio.

Stories of the Titanic - not the actual ship but primarily the film - have recently come to dominate the box office, the news, and increasingly people's lives. At the same time, economic, military, health, social, governmental, and environmental problems pose a perpetual threat to the well-being and ultimate happiness of humanity. If only people could shift their zealous, undaunted devotion from the world of Jack and Rose to their own, it would most likely be a better place to live. ?