Supplementing Your Summer: Character, part II

 

For the next few days, I'm going to stick with Spock, but feel free to pick a new character of your liking.  Continue analyze aspects of his character.  This time, try to think of something he said or did that caught your attention.  Do you agree with it?  If not, why?  If not, pick something else.  If you do agree with something he said or did that stood out to you, could it benefit your life if you applied it to your way of thinking?

This clip cuts short too fast.  What we don't get to see in this clip is Spock spitting in Sarek's face, metaphorically speaking of course.  But Spock says, "I'm not the cast-off kid you left behind all those years ago," or something to that effect.  "I know who I am."  He knows what his father feels, knows that he's half human, knows that that's just how it is.  He's come to grips with it.  And, if I may say so, does wonderful things with it.

You always have to take what McCoy and Kirk say as a grain of salt.  In fact, Spock says some things once in a while that are too simplistic, and I hope you can recognize those moments.  What Kirk says in this clip about needing our pain, about our pain making us who we are, is to an extent true, isn't it?  It is because of our trials, failings, and sufferings that we have become who we are.  Star Trek episodes from the original series and in the later series have explored this concept, but basically, what we've had to encounter and the sacrifices we've had to make have developed our characters.

However, we need to let go.  We can't be obsessed like Doctor McCoy is about cutting the chord on his father.  They don't make it clear whether McCoy just stopped life support or actually killed him, but either way, it eats at him, makes him sick.  He couldn't save his father, couldn't take away his pain, and not long after his father's death, a cure was found.  Sarek tortures Bones with it, I believe calls it murder, and then tells him to let go.  The result, as is the result with much of the crew, is that McCoy almost sees him as a kind of god for a second.  Sarek has the interesting ability to take away pain, and so McCoy feels free from his pain.  But what happened has not been undone.  McCoy loved his father and did what he did because he loved his father.  We don't get to see Kirk's pain, and since he is the strong captain who is not supposed to have any weakness, that is appropriate.  But he says he needs his pain.

Spock has sort of the middle road between completely forgetting pain and clinging to it.  He has his pain, but he has accepted it.

So how can I apply that to my life?  I certainly have plenty of painful moments in my past, some greater than others, a few that will likely always be my weakness.  But can I come to grips with it?  Forgive the causes of my pain and suffering, know that it has happened, and, with solemn reserve, look to the future?

Yesterday's Sunday readings were fascinating.  I have been contemplating this concept, and for a few months now I had been struggling with one thing in particular and now I tried so hard to let it just sink into who I was and stop fighting it.  Then I heard Paul's letter to the Corinthians.  Obviously, the three readings yesterday have a sort of connection, and there are other things to be learned from the readings yesterday, but monsignor even made this reading the topic of his homily.

Brothers and sisters: That I, Paul, might not become too elated, because of the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.  Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."  I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.  Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

There you go!  Not only is Spock content with his weakness, but Saint Paul says that it is God's will!

So I'll be working on this concept for the next couple of days.  What about you?  Who did you pick, and what are you focusing on?  Consider this a tag of sorts - to everyone.  Comment here, or write your own post and let me know - I'd be very interested to hear your insights about our favorite characters.

~Meggy

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