Read the comics
January 8, 2009 (Thursday)
Dick Tracy is a comic book detective. He is eleven days younger than I. His creator, Chester Gould, introduced him on October 4, 1931. I had made my debut on earth September 24. Gould wrote the strip until 1977, but Tracy lives on.
One of the things remembered best about Dick Tracy was his two-way wrist radio. Just an imaginary piece of equipment back then, it later became a reality in our technological age. It became a two-way wrist T.V. in 1964. Well, folks, you can buy one of these little gems this year, probably sometime this summer. It will be a camera, a telephone, an mp3 player, and I personally would not be surprised if it includes some kind of access to the internet.
Fantasy sometimes becomes reality. How about Buck Rogers? I remember him and his rockets in the same comic section of the newspaper. Well, that, too, has become the real thing with rocket back packs and rocket ships of a sort.
Some comics are created out of a reality that came first, like Dilbert, who reflects the corporate work place and at times is uncannily right on the mark.
So, my dear senior citizens, if you want to live a little longer, be sure to read the comics each day. They’re not all funny, but they all have some new way of looking at life which adds a little spark to your day. For instance, yesterday the goldfish all decided to play dead in their bowl as the owner came into the room to feed them. Now, how long has it been since you thought up a practical joke like that? Where else would you find such humor? Read the comics. For your own good.