Random Thoughts On Friday

I had a conversation the other day with a co-worker who is a couple of decades older than me.  A third person involved in the conversation was about 10 years younger than I am.

We were talking about horror movies and scary TV shows that we have enjoyed.  Its that time of the year.  OK, its always that time of the year for me.

Anyway, the Twilight Zone was brought up.  I (like most people) love the show.  I think it still packs a punch and I appreciate the ironic twists that happen in the episodes.

Plus, the show always had a very ISOLATED feel.  Someone was stranded somewhere having difficulty getting back to where they belonged.

I think that now, in 2016, it is hard to conceive of being helpless like that.  You have a cell phone on ya.  Your buddy hanging out with you also has one.  Anyone that passes by you has one too.

AND, with access to a car, I can pretty much get anywhere I would want to go in the US within a day or two.  Gas is something most of us can afford.  Travelling by plane is pretty accessible too.  I simply can't think of a desperate situation where I would not be able to get somewhere I would need to get too in a reasonable amount of time.

However, I personally do remember being a kid (pre-cellphone), and my mom's car broke down once.  We had to walk a pretty long ways until we found a house.  Luckily, there was a very nice lady home who let us use her home and helped us out.

I had a friend in high school who had a very bad wreck on a dark country road one night.  He had to walk about a mile to a house and he knocked on their door.  No one answered.  He had to walk a long distance to the next home, and they helped him.  Though bloody, he was OK.

A friend told me about a time in the early 90s when they ran out of gas in rural Kentucky around midnight.  They were very terrified but, again, someone helped them.

I think it is hard for younger people now to have such a concept of being stranded, and being helpless.  I am very glad we have gotten to that point as a society, but it might be nearly impossible for a younger person to conceive of (and relate to) the horror of being stranded in the Twilight Zone.