Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th has come down in history as a “bad luck day.” The source of that was Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of hundreds of Knights Templar. Many were tortured or executed—an infamous and dark day in medieval history. 

Yesterday’s Friday the 13th was full of fearful and violent news: riot, war and a rain of Middle East missiles. Then, this morning as scores of Americans take to the streets to exercise our Constitutional right to protest our government, comes news of an overnight political assassination in Minnesota. The CNN “Breaking News” chyron could really use a vacation. I have yet to rouse myself from bed. 

In times like this, sometimes art can express emotions better than, well, emotion. Today, it’s this warning from “Star Trek Strange New Worlds”. Since I was a boy, I’ve always loved “Star Trek” because its hopeful message showed that “we made it.” However, at the moment, we’re very much in a 21st century nonfiction closely resembling a fictional vision that led to that peaceful future. May we yet avoid it.