“It…is…later…than…you…think…This is Arch Oboler bringing you another of our stories of the unusual. These ‘Lights Out’ stories are definitely not for the timid soul. So, we tell you calmly and very sincerely if you frighten easily…turn off your radio now.” — intro to the “Light’s Out” radio show which ran on various radio networks from 1934 to 1947.
Every week, Arch Oboler would make the following disclaimer before scaring the bejesus out of his listeners with tales of crime, political thrillers and doppelgangers among the various shapeshifters and occasional visits from Boris Karloff who always stared as that thing that would go bump in the night. During its heyday, it was a fun show. It’s still broadcast today on Radio Classics channel 148 on SiriusXM. When the gong goes off (Oboler’s trademark), you know the fun is about to begin.
In the past six weeks, I’m sure there have been many times, my friends, when you have read my epigraphs or my first paragraph and wondered “What is he talking about?” Well, be not troubled my friends — today, our discourse is on fear.
So, exactly what is fear? Let’s consult our pocket edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Fear (n): 2 (a) The emotion of pain or uneasiness caused by the sense of impending danger or by the prospect of some possible evil. 3 (a) Apprehension or dread of something that will or may happen in the future.
OK Mr. Reporter, make your argument.
If you convert the two definitions into one concise layman’s definition you would come up with the following: “being afraid of what will happen and that it will result in a bad outcome.” Does this mean that we have to fear the future?
Let’s pretend that we are sitting in a car. Now, what is the smallest mirror in the car? Well, the mirror that is behind the sun visor, yes, but for this experiment, we will say the rearview mirror. Next, what is the largest piece of glass in the car. Yes, the windshield. OK McDonald, are you trying to add the title of “glazier” to your resume? Again, my dear friends, I say hear me out.
Now, let’s go back to our car. Let’s visualize us sitting in the cabin. We look at the “rearview mirror,” adjust it and our sunglasses accordingly and then prepare to shift into drive. Now, we look out of the windshield and we hopefully have a clean view. If not, we hit the windshield cleaner button and then the pollen, bugs, et al. will disappear. So, we have a clear view behind us, we have a clearer view in front of us and then we have the controls where we sit in the cabin.
Still don’t get it? OK, I’ll let you in on the secret. A car is a time machine.
Oh McDonald, you’ve been on the farm too long brother. No, no, no (plus that’s MacDonald, by the way), just hear me out. The smallest mirror in the car is the rearview mirror and it makes us see what has happened behind us (the past). The windshield is the largest window in the car and it shows us what will happen (the future) and the cabin of the car (the present) is where the controls are.
I began this column speaking of fear and things that go bump in the night. I’ll end it with this: things behind us should remain behind us. They are small and they are distant. Things in front of us are what we positively look forward to. Things with us in the cabin are what we have control of right now.
Don’t be afraid of the past — you can do nothing to change it. Don’t be afraid of the future — we haven’t gotten there yet. Be conscious and cognizant about now. You have control of right now. The choices you make now can influence your future. Remember, choices have consequences and we should always choose well based on the information that we have at that moment. Before you choose though, take a breath and consider the car time machine. Control what you can, let go of what is in the rearview mirror and concentrate on the future.
The future doesn’t have to be a scary place. We can change that by leaving the past behind.
Christopher McDonald is an accomplished educator and military veteran with experience in print and radio. Reach him at cmcdonald@richmondobserver.com.
