Among my fondest memories with my dad are watching old television programs like the Twilight Zone. This was before cable, phones, and modern technology. Rod Serling, the creator of the series was ahead of his time with the concept of such an unusual television program.
From 1959 to 1964, The Twilight Zone aired 156 episodes. Even though the show aired over 60 years ago, its stories remain relevant and timeless. So, what does a television show have to do with life?
As a fan, I still enjoy watching reruns. I recently watched a few episodes with my grandson. We now watch them together. If he watches them carefully, he can learn a lot from this old show.
Serling didn’t want the Twilight Zone to be just another TV show. He wanted to make a show that taught life lessons. A few examples are racism, paranoia, and vanity. Whenever I watch the Twilight Zone with my grandson, I try to point out Serling’s life lessons.
Here are three episodes that can teach your children and grandchildren valuable life lessons.
Season 1 (Judgment Night):
In 1942, Carl Lanser was a passenger on a British cargo liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Despite this, he does not know who he is or how he got onto the ship. His only memory is that he was born in Frankfurt, but he is oddly familiar with the ship, its crew and passengers.
At 12:05, the engines break down and the captain must stop the ship for repairs. As Lanser becomes increasingly restless, a sense of impending doom overcomes him. Lanser panics as he becomes convinced that everyone on board will die at 1:15. He discovers that the ship is mysteriously empty. Upon finding some passengers, he implores them to abandon the ship. In the exact moment of 1:15, a surfaced U-boat, commanded by himself, fires its weapons at the ship, it sinks, leaving no survivors.
Lanser later records the kill from his U-boat cabin. His second-in-command, Lieutenant Mueller, is troubled about not warning the people on board the ship before killing them. He wonders “if we are not all damned now?” Lanser replies that he is certain the British Admiralty feels the same, but Mueller clarifies that he meant damned by God. Lanser would spend eternity reliving the same day in his own hell. There is a lesson in this story – those who commit evil acts may escape earthly justice, but they will face justice after death.
Season 3 (The Changing of the Guard):
Professor Ellis Fowler has been teaching English literature at a boys’ prep school in Vermont before he is forced to retire. Reminiscing about his former students and looking through his old yearbooks, he concludes that all of his lessons have been in vain.
Depressed, he prepares to commit suicide the night before Christmas, but before he can do so, a phantom bell calls him back to his classroom, where the ghosts of several of his dead students visit him. He learns the impact he had on the boys’ lives and how he inspired them to become better men. Fowler’s teachings inspired all of them. He is moved to tears when he hears the phantom bell again, and then his former pupils disappear.
He has now accepted retirement, content that he has enriched the lives of others by his contribution to humanity. This episode teaches us that we aren’t here for ourselves only. You are here to enrich other people’s lives. You may not realize it, but your actions (good or bad) affect others around you.
Season 3 (A Quality of Mercy):
Second Lieutenant Katell arrives in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II in 1945. He orders an attack on a group of sick and wounded Japanese soldiers in a cave. One of Katell’s men attempts to talk him out of it. According to him, there’s no point in any additional senseless killing. He doesn’t want to attack the Japanese soldiers. However, Katell is looking to make a name for himself by collecting as many kills as possible. This even includes sacrificing his own soldiers.
While Katell surveys the cave, he experiences an odd twist of fate. He has become a Japanese officer and is experiencing the war from a Japanese soldier’s perspective.
He feels compassion for the American soldiers since he does not see the point in needlessly sacrificing lives on both sides. Compassion is an important part of being human. Unless you walk a mile in another person’s shoes, you don’t know what it’s like to be them. Consider other people’s perspectives before passing judgment on them.
Watching the Twilight Zone with my grandson has been a great experience for me. As a child, I watched the same episodes with my late father. Rod Serling taught us many valuable lessons. These lessons have shaped my life in many ways. I now pass these lessons on to my grandson.
Compassion, love, honor, and kindness can be learned from books and television programs. But before you can understand these qualities, you must first demonstrate them in your own lives.
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.