When the truth isn’t out there
“Sometimes the only sane answer to an insane world is insanity.” — Fox Mulder
Earlier this spring, I made myself physically ill by consuming a nonstop stream of political news every night on cable TV. My blood pressure fluctuated wildly and my sleep was often disrupted by apocalyptic nightmares. I had to put an end to my nightly news addiction.
That’s why I’m grateful for Comet, the science fiction and fantasy broadcast network that focuses on cult classics such as Grimm and The X-Files. Now, every night before bed, I tune out the politics and catch up with special agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. I’m happy to report that I have fewer nightmares now.
Watching The X-Files was a weekly family ritual when my son was a kid. Created by Chris Carter, the original series spanned nine seasons (September 1993 – May 2002). Viewers like me couldn’t get enough of those paranormal investigations involving alien abductions, lab-created plagues, shape-shifters, monsters, creepy religious cults, UFO sightings, and bizzaro conspiracy theories that even Marjorie Taylor Greene couldn’t dream up. Luckily, a tenth season was launched in 2016, followed by an eleventh in 2018.
All said and done, X-Files reruns are more relevant than ever. At the very least, there’s always a creative attempt to explain the unexplainable.
“Sometimes I think the world is going to hell and we’re the only two people who can save it,” Scully tells Mulder in one episode. I still admire Mulder’s stubborn quest for The Truth, always tempered and assisted by Scully’s carefully measured doses of science and logic. We sure could use some of that right now. ~CL
*** This is an excerpt from a longer essay I posted on Substack. ***
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
