A character in a Twilight Zone episode spoke that line and went on to tell another character that maybe the secret to staying young is as simple as playing kick the can. “Maybe it’s a way of looking at things, a way of thinking.” He said that the two of them played kick the can as young boys and as soon as they stopped playing kid games they started to get old. This conversation takes place at a “rest home” (old-age home, forerunner to assisted living).Isn’t that a great way to look at life?
I’m not suggesting that we should act like children or that we should never mature. But if we think we should feel “old” and used up at a certain age, then we probably will.
The coolest thing about the Twilight Zone is Rod Serling’s opening and closing statement in each episode.
Here is how he closes this one:
“Sunnyvale Rest, a dying place for ancient people who have forgotten the fragile magic of youth. A dying place for those who have forgotten that childhood, maturity and old age are curiously intertwined and not separate. A dying place for those who have grown too stiff in their thinking to visit the Twilight Zone.”
6 comments:
If you're really only as old as you feel, then for the last two decades I've been floating somewhere between 12 and 17. There's a reason that so many great writers (not counting those who self-destruct) live well into their 90s and continue to produce good work. It's because they feel young enough to continue. I sincerely hope that before I reach an age where I am no longer capable of writing that I can upload my mind into a computer so I can continue my work indefinitely. It's not that I want to live forever; just that I crave immortality.
Ian
Floating between 12 and 17, with the writing skills of a 30-something. :)
I guess your book is the first bog step toward your imortality. And I just contributed $11 toward your future. Looking forward to reading it.
My husband credits me with keeping him young because I refuse to "think old". To heck with how I'm "supposed" to act at any age, I always want to have a young mindset.
what a wonderful post! i remember that episode...and also the one from the twilight zone movie. when i lose my ability to be kid-like...i will be dead.
I love that episode from the movie. I always felt bad for the old guy at the end who hadn't belived and got left behind.
How wonderful would it really be to get to go back to childhood with all the knowledge you possess as an adult?
And I think I must be around 16 - 17.....
Lee
Can you imagine going back to high school with some of the knowledge you have now? I mean some non-classroom knowledge. :)
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