Supplementing Your Summer: Character, part III

 

Yes, Spock once more.  Episode Operation: Annihilate! is an interesting episode with potential.  There were things I was disappointed with, but what I found most interesting was, in fact, the suffering.  The neural parasites used intense pain in order to force their subjects into submission.  Although it seems that there was always some kind of pain with these parasites wrapped around every nerve in the body, they could, somehow, implant an idea into the mind of their victim and then increase the level of pain to the point where the subject was almost on the brink of insanity.

In this episode, almost all of the Federation men on the planet are dead, or are by the end of the episode.  Your favorite man Spock is attacked by a parasite and, consequently, is subjected to enormous amounts of pain.  Although not one of my favorite episodes, it brings up an interesting point.  Spock, ever the unconquerable hero, refuses to give into the pain.  Already infected, he volunteers to further studies of the parasites and their effects on the planet.  He is obviously in a lot of pain, but he tries not to show it, and he won't give into it.

As Christians, we know that pain will come, and we know that we're supposed to bear it with patience and silence.  And it got me wondering.  How often do I complain unnecessarily?  Even when I'm alone, I can complain to myself.  What good is this?  It shifts your focus onto your pain, which always makes it worse, you know.

And then, what about other troubles?  Do we unnecessarily complain about that too?  Maybe, we need to learn a little silence....

 

An extra little interesting note: pain and suffering tends to get worse the more we give into it.  If you compensate for, complain about it, dwell on it, you're thinking about it much more than is necessary, and if you're only thinking about the pain, it gets to feel worse than it is.  Or, at least, it feels worse than it needs to.  "Pain is a thing of the mind."  Over the past few days hiking in Acadia, I find that is very true.  I just avoid thinking about the pain, and then it isn't a big deal.

~Meggy