Several years ago, I was invited to give a presentation as part of "Wellness Week" at the University at which I was employed. Since I had a fairly decent profile as a public speaker, and as one who liked to work pop culture into my presentations, I was asked specifically to tie my presentation to something, anything in popular culture that might make it jump out at people.
So, not surprisingly, I chose the Star Trek universe. I called the presentation "Trekking to Wellness" and focused it on life-lessons I have learned from Star Trek in several of its iterations.
Needless to say, most of the lessons came from Star Trek but at least one, if I recall correctly, came from TNG.
I had a blast preparing for that presentation. I fired up my iMac, got iMovie and iDVD ready to roll and then began to rip scenes from episodes and movies that I felt were particularly instructive to someone who wants to reduce stress and increase wellness (whatever that means...).
The first scene that came to mind was the one from "Shore Leave" where, once the mystery of the crazy planet is revealed, the opinion is expressed that "the more sophisticated the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play". I love this idea. I agree with it wholeheartedly. I firmly believe that people who are ultra-serious, ultra-intellectual all the time are not really that smart. They use intensity and unwavering intellectualism to cover up the weakness of their intellect. The smartest people I know are also the ones who laugh the most. Because, let's be honest, if you can't laugh at the world, you're going to cry over it instead.
Then there's the oft-repeated line in The Wrath of Khan about the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few... or the one. I know this isn't a Star Trek original; I know it was earlier and better expressed by some moral philosopher or ethicist somewhere. But Star Trek helped bring it into 20th Century pop culture. And I think it is, for the most part, true and morally supportable. But I also think it is very important that, in The Search for Spock, the characters recognise that, sometimes, the needs of the one outweigh the needsof the many. Or, more accurately, the many often have unspoken needs that are so directly tied to the one that they become indecipherable and addressing the needs of the one in fact addresses the needs of the many.
And, of course, there's "Amok Time" and the "having is often not so pleasurable a thing as wanting" line Spock tosses at Stonn as he relinquishes his claim on T'Pring. Great line. And so true. If you keep this sentiment in mind, you'll save a lot of money and retain a lot of pleasure. How often have you craved an object for a long time, with an intensity that is almost painful, then broken down and acquired it, only to find that the charm almost instantly wears off? Enjoy the wanting. The having is often not so great.
There were others, about which I might write later, but I would be remiss if I didn't finish this blog post with my absolute favourite line from the entire run of TNG. Since I'm not as avid a fan of TNG as I am of Star Trek, I can't rhyme off the episode title from memory (and my from-memory rendition of the quote will probably be even more inaccurate than the near quotes set out above) but it's in the show about strategy.
Data engages a representative of the galaxy's greatest race of native strategists in a game of Strategema and loses. Thinking he must therefore be defective, Data withdraws from duty. Picard, desperately needing Data's services, confronts him in his cabin and says "It is possible to do nothing wrong and still fail" or "It is possible to do everything right and still fail" or something like that.
However he phrased it, Picard is absolutely right. And his words are worth bearing in mind throughout your life. I have, in fact, quoted Picard to several people in my life who have applied and interviewed for a job but failed to receive a job offer. "What did I do wrong?" they ask. And I quote Picard at them.
Generally, I say to them that the first thing they need to do is review their own behaviour, their own actions, the answers they gave in the job interview in as objective way as they can. If they can find something that, their objective review tells them, they could have done better, then learn from that.
If, however, their objective review comes back with no glaring errors, no mis-steps, then maybe they have to accept the fact that, in life, it is possible to do everything right and still fail. The process of hiring people in to a job, for example, is subject to so many tensions and demands and influences that it is often the case that a person who is perfect for the job and performs perfectly in the interview process is not offered the position.
The presentation was very well received and a lot of fun to give. And it reinforced for me the truths I had already gleaned from the Star Trek Universe.
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