…Find Your Moment of Zen

It seems like we’ve been saying good bye to a lot of late night hosts recently, and frankly, I’m tired of it. The rest of you, I don’t care how much you hate your job and dream of retiring to the countryside, please wait a year or two. We’ve had enough “last shows” for the moment.

The latest, as you can probably guess based on the not so subtle banner, and yesterday’s post, is Jon Stewart.

For 16 years Stewart has been the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” and in that time has become one of the most trusted names in news. Which when you consider that “The Daily Show” is supposed to be a comedic take on current events, says a lot about its host. The show may present the news through a comedic filter, but under Stewart’s direction it has taken its job of informing the public on the important news very seriously.

While we see the end result of the countless hours of research and brainstorming, it’s easy to see how the nature of the work would wear on a person. The 24 hour news cycle has turned into a circus, more interested in ratings than delivering actual news. It’s been an easy and necessary target for Stewart’s show, but the downfall of actual news coverage is in a word — depressing. And personally, I cannot blame Mr. Stewart for wanting to get off the hamster wheel.

It seems fitting that tonight is the first GOP presidential debate. It reminds us that the crazy world will keep on turning, and that we need more like Stewart to question and think about the important issues in our world. It’s just a shame we won’t get to hear all about it on Monday’s “Daily Show.”

It’s hard to imagine a world without “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Thanks for the laughs amidst the chaos, Mr. Stewart. You’ll be missed.