The Twilight Zone

Last week completed a month of classes where we examined how Rod Serling wove UU messages and principles into his landmark show, The Twilight Zone. Each week's episode led to lively discussion about the nuances of Serlings message, the internal tensions that defined each theme and the often-conflicted responses we had to each vignette. It was clear to all that Serling strove to send the message to the world that we should shun away from blind conformity, strive to value each person as an individual, work towards empathy for each other and always try to walk the righteous path towards a more inclusive world. In our discussions we did not always agree about what Serling wanted to say, or how those ideas translated to our current world, but there was a sense that he sought to remind us, particularly in a time when the planet seemed to divide itself into different "worlds", that we share this Earth together, that we should respect each other's differences and that we cannot solve our problems simply by following our leaders, but by each of us taking the lead as we can. The morality within The Twilight Zone is one deeply engrained in our UU principles, our commonality, universality and openness. I was glad to see so many people finding touchstones for their faith, their values, in Serling's works of fiction. I am often asked by students to defend the idea of studying literature. In sharing these short "plays" with others, I find the answer. Fiction allows us to see our common values and to embrace difficult ideas or troubling scenarios vicariously, to explore the depths of our selves, our beliefs, without having to live through the painful realities (or fantasies) which make them real. Catharsis lives! In the Twilight Zone, our core principles are tested in the fires of our full humanity, both our inherent good and our inescapable evils. Always with a twist, of course. What would the Twilight Zone be without a twist?