Tick Tock Says the Clock

by Averil Santos

2013-25246

"That's not fair. That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was all the time I needed...! That's not fair!"-Henry Bemis

What would you do if you have all the time in the world to do whatever you want? I'm sure you'd take advantage of that opportunity. Twilight Zone's 8th episode in their first season was entitled "Time Enough at Last." It revolves around a bank teller and an avid bookworm, Henry Bemis. While doing his usual reading inside the bank's vault, he sees a newspaper headline which reads "H-Bomb Capable of Total Destruction." All of a sudden, an enormous explosion violently shakes the vault knocking Bemis unconscious. A few moments after that, he regained consciousness and fortunately, he was able to recover his glasses required for him to acquire his sight. He sees the entire city destroyed and he finds himself alone. Suicide eventually succumbed his mind. It was unsuccessful for he changed his mind when he sees the ruins of a public library. He realized that he has all the time in the world to read all the books without interruption. Unfortunately, he stumbles and his glasses shatter. Without his glasses he was virtually blind. 


This episode of 'The Twilight Zone' emphasizes the common quote, "Be careful what you wish for." If I were to focus on the scientific elements of this episode, I can say that "Time Enough at Last" tackles the negative impacts of technological advancements. This thing called the 'H-bomb' has a similar counterpart in the real world. Nuclear weapons used in wars can be an example. I guess this episode implies that behind every glorious positive outcome science may bring to us, a consequence always follows it. Science can not only be used for the improvement of our lives but it could also be used for our destruction thus, we should use it wisely.