The Men of Iron Minute
by Chad Zueck | Director of Content Creation
Time Enough to Last
As a kid, I enjoyed watching scary movies. It wasn’t the blood and guts version- just the suspenseful type. Occasionally, I would stumble upon a TV show called Twilight Zone. It was freaky, fun, and remarkably twisted. This show aired in black and white from 1958 to 1964. One episode named Time Enough to Last[1] got my attention.
Henry Bemis, a bank teller, is the main character in the episode, and he loves knowledge. Even though he has terrible eyesight, he devours books with the help of some glasses, and his knowledge quest can’t be satisfied with his time limitations. For Bemis, knowledge is power, and he pridefully kept the knowledge to himself. The library was his sanctuary, and he worships at the altar of self when he learns. His tyrannical idol demands more knowledge than what he has time to grasp. One day at work, Bennis goes into the vault to read privately. When he comes out, he shockingly realizes that nuclear war has destroyed humanity. He survived in the vault, but everyone else is gone- he’s the lone survivor. It is called the Twilight Zone, after all.
Henry finds that every bit of technology is gone, and the blast has toppled the buildings. His wife, Helen, has vanished, and he’s alone. Henry decides that life is not worth living, so he decides to end it. At the last minute, Henry sees the library is still intact and hears a call to worship at his sanctuary. Now, Henry elates over the unlimited time for reading. He piles the books on one another as he plans his unending ritual. Just as his worship is about to start, his glasses fall from his eyes and break.
With all the time in the world and no one to distract him, his dreamscape comes crashing down. Henry’s shattered glasses take away his ability to read. He learns a valuable lesson about pride, hoarding knowledge, and the faulty assumption that we are not the center of the universe.
Just another valuable lesson from the Twilight Zone.
Be a mentor.
Find a mentor.
Be a better man.
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[1] https://twilightzone.fandom.com/wiki/Time_Enough_at_Last