Christmas day babies typically get the short end of the stick. Everyone's attention is somewhere else and there's no time for Birthday cakes when there's a ham in the oven. That is why today I took it upon myself to celebrate the life of Rod Serling.
Oh, you kids. You didn't have the opportunity to know Mr. Serling. Even I, as a child, watched the Twilight Zone as reruns. Later Mr. Serling hosted "Night Gallery". He even wrote the screenplay for "Planet Of The Apes". Mr. Serling WAS horror, sci-fi, and mystery all rolled up into one. Also, notice I said "wrote"; many people think he just hosted these shows, but many of the episodes were personally penned by him.
Serling wasn't just about the shock of horror either, he was about teaching lessons. Each episode of the Twilight Zone was about exploring race, culture and our place in the world. Serling was a purple heart and bronze star recipient and it was said that his traumatic experiences at war inspired much of his writing.
Serling's achievements are probably best summed up by saying he inspired generations upon generations to love a good spooky story, but he was so much more than that. I want to thank Mr. Serling for all of those life lessons he taught while creepin' me the heck out.
I will leave you with a Rod Serling quote to take with you.
Being like everybody is the same as being nobody-Rod Serling
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