… and preparedness (as we were in the previous post), here’s a sobering take on the subject from Brandon Smith. And from Rod Serling.
Even though I repeat and repeat that I think the “zombie apocalypse” or even the all-out localized panic is a rare and unlikely occurrence for most of us and shouldn’t be the focus of our preps, I admit the Twilight Zone clip was too believable to watch, even all these decades later.
(Tip o’ hat to J.)
Yes, that is one of my fave TZ episodes. My absolute favorite though, is The Obsolete Man.
I had forgotten that one. But my favorite-ever TZ episode is another starring Burgess Meredith: “Time Enough at Last.” No political or religious implications in this one. Just the irony.
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Time_Enough_at_Last
I guess I could also name five or six others as favorites, though, if I thought about it.
Couple of years ago, I watched most of the TZ episodes from those first few years on DVD. While some (of course) don’t hold up at all, it was startling how many ring so true today — especially the ones with social or political messages.
I just watched the TZ “Time Enough at Last” last night! My 7 year old daughter thought it was a crummy ending. She wanted to see him be able to read all the books! That is one of my favorites, but the Obsolete Man is a close second.
The one you have in your post about the shelter is an excellent one as well. It shows with great clarity what is reality. The best defense to such a reality is to keep any preparations you make to yourself. Don’t share with anyone accept your family and instruct them to stay quiet as well. If life gets tough make sure you look like you are having just as tough a time as everyone else. Hide in plain sight, needle in the haystack etc.
Mic — Da-da da-da da-da da-da (that’s the TZ theme song playing) — How weird that a 50-year old TV episode would come up here the night after you watched it. What do you suppose are the odds of that?
Tell your daughter I agree it’s a crummy ending — which is exactly why it made such a lasting impression on me. That poor man! Another TZ episode whose ending might make a memorable impression (and teach a great lesson to a kid) is “A Nice Place to Visit” (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/A_Nice_Place_to_Visit).
That episode made such and impression on me, and I saw it when it was first aired, that to this day I have three pairs of glasses on me, or very close, at all times. There are three in my truck and two in each BOB. I know of nothing, other than maybe Ayn Rand, that had such an affect on me. Being a tad bookish my own self it represented my worst nightmare. To be so close to one’s dream and have it crushed for such a simple reason. Talk about life lessons.
EN — Exactly. For that very same reason, that episode (which I also saw in the original) horrified me so much when I was a kid that, in retrospect, I’d almost say it was the beginning of my preparedness consciousness. Today, of course, if that poor man broke his reading glasses, all he’d have to do is raid a drugstore for some over-the-counter readers. And even then, he could have picked up a magnifying glass somewhere. But you don’t think of those things in the moment of seeing the poor guy’s plight … the horror of having a world of books and no means of reading them … man, that’s enough to give any dedicated reader nightmares.
Here’s a woman who got fired for taking great pictures of dogs with the mind of getting them adopted.
http://gizmodo.com/5857607/woman-gets-fired-for-publishing-cute-photos-of-dogs-scheduled-to-be-killed
You’d think they didn’t want the dogs adopted out.
Here’s a little something about bad roads.
http://www.thementalmilitia.com/forums/index.php?topic=29776.0
“The Shelter” really struck a chord with me, and brought back memories.
Back in the late 1950’s, around the time I was born, my father built a bomb shelter on his property. He was a mason by trade, so he knew how to build, and how to work. He built in during his spare time, evenings and weekends, using guidelines from some Civil Defense publication. I remember playing in and around and on top of it as a kid. It was underground, done by excavating, then building the structure, then putting the excavated material on top. This was all done with a pick, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow. Not cutting any nearby trees and allowing natural plant growth on and around it made it impossible to see from the air. The entrance, however, could be seen from one side. There were bunk beds inside, a toilet room, and several large water tanks. Electric lights were inside, with the feed coming underground from our house. Watching “The Shelter” makes me wonder if Dad ever saw that episode, and what he thought. I know that neighbors knew about it, just like in “The Shelter”. I know we would have had the same problem as depicted in the show. Next month Dad will turn 86. He’s a lot slower, a lot weaker, but he’s still planning next years garden. I’m sure a life of physical work, done properly, pacing oneself, is what has allowed him to stay active.
Enough of my rambling.
Thanks for reminding me about the “Time Enough at Last” episode. I never remembered the name, just the story and Burgess Meredith. It was like an O Henry story, memorable for the irony.