The concept of Star Trek as teacher is not exactly a new sentiment for me. I was introduced to it at the tender age of 4 by way of my Mom taking me to see ST:TMP in a theater (yes, I am that old), and it has been my constant companion ever since.
Way back before Trin, even before Superwife, I had a wall poster that said exactly this: Everything I needed to know about life I learned from Star Trek, and it contained a number of mostly comical adages about life for the geek who pays more attention to science fiction than to the so-called real world. Things like 'always set yourphaser on stun' and 'never trust anyone with pointed ears'. I can't find an image of it, or there would be one in this post, but you get the idea.
I recently watched the TNG Season 6 episode Tapestry, in which Picard's artificial heart fails on him during a mission and he dies on the operating table because of it. He is then taken back in time to see if he can change the event that caused him to have an artificial heart in the first place, a purported wrong choice that led to him getting stabbed. He makes the appropriate changes, avoids getting stabbed, and is then brought into what should be his present, only to find that history is not as he remembers it. He is now a Junior grade Lieutenant, living a quiet, safe life shuffling papers around. Turns out that choosing the safe, easy path led to a life of not taking the opportunities he was presented with, and ultimately creating a much different life than the one he remembered. Picard then goes back in time yet again, sets history right, gets stabbed in the heart, and with the timeline restored, wakes up on an operating table in his present, his artificial heart once again working.
Where is this going exactly, you might ask? Well, yesterday I was presented with not one, but two job opportunities; one a headhunter contact, and the other a firm offer, both of which would lead to me getting off of shift work and back into working the daily grind like most of the rest of the world. One would in all likelihood be for less money than the one I have now, the other was a little more; one would offer significantly new challenges, and the other was basically a modified version of the job I have, just doing it straight days.
Essentially, (and here's the Star Trek part) like Picard I was faced with two paths: I could take the easier, safer path and maybe be sentenced to a life of quiet non-involvement, or I could take one of the other offered positions, and maybe start a chain of changes that could lead to who knows what. (Maybe my own ship someday?) But here's where Picard and I part ways. Because where he was horrified to find himself trapped in a job with no passion, of never being noticed by anyone, I am quite content with the same. Some might see it as a lack of ambition, some might think I am just plain lazy, but the truth is that as long as my basic needs are met in a job (i.e. enough money to support my family), I just don't get gratification from job recognition. I like coming into a job, doing my thing to the best of my ability and going home to the people that matter to me. And that is all. I don't crave praise at a job or need to feel validated by others for my accomplishments. I work to live baby, never the other way around.
So for a litany of reasons, I made the choice to stay where I was for now, and Superwife, as always, remains my stalwart supporter. As long as I am happy, she is happy for me. She is the absolute tits, in case I haven't said so lately, btw. It is so great that the only friend whose opinion I honestly value, who supports me no matter what, also happens to be my wife. If we were ever to part ways, I am so screwed, because I could never ask for a better partner in life.
I guess now it remains to be seen how much this event will impact the direction of my life, at least in the short term. Maybe my decision isn't as life-changing as getting stabbed in the heart, but only time provides the appropriate context to put these kinds of events in.
Way back before Trin, even before Superwife, I had a wall poster that said exactly this: Everything I needed to know about life I learned from Star Trek, and it contained a number of mostly comical adages about life for the geek who pays more attention to science fiction than to the so-called real world. Things like 'always set yourphaser on stun' and 'never trust anyone with pointed ears'. I can't find an image of it, or there would be one in this post, but you get the idea.
I recently watched the TNG Season 6 episode Tapestry, in which Picard's artificial heart fails on him during a mission and he dies on the operating table because of it. He is then taken back in time to see if he can change the event that caused him to have an artificial heart in the first place, a purported wrong choice that led to him getting stabbed. He makes the appropriate changes, avoids getting stabbed, and is then brought into what should be his present, only to find that history is not as he remembers it. He is now a Junior grade Lieutenant, living a quiet, safe life shuffling papers around. Turns out that choosing the safe, easy path led to a life of not taking the opportunities he was presented with, and ultimately creating a much different life than the one he remembered. Picard then goes back in time yet again, sets history right, gets stabbed in the heart, and with the timeline restored, wakes up on an operating table in his present, his artificial heart once again working.
Where is this going exactly, you might ask? Well, yesterday I was presented with not one, but two job opportunities; one a headhunter contact, and the other a firm offer, both of which would lead to me getting off of shift work and back into working the daily grind like most of the rest of the world. One would in all likelihood be for less money than the one I have now, the other was a little more; one would offer significantly new challenges, and the other was basically a modified version of the job I have, just doing it straight days.
Essentially, (and here's the Star Trek part) like Picard I was faced with two paths: I could take the easier, safer path and maybe be sentenced to a life of quiet non-involvement, or I could take one of the other offered positions, and maybe start a chain of changes that could lead to who knows what. (Maybe my own ship someday?) But here's where Picard and I part ways. Because where he was horrified to find himself trapped in a job with no passion, of never being noticed by anyone, I am quite content with the same. Some might see it as a lack of ambition, some might think I am just plain lazy, but the truth is that as long as my basic needs are met in a job (i.e. enough money to support my family), I just don't get gratification from job recognition. I like coming into a job, doing my thing to the best of my ability and going home to the people that matter to me. And that is all. I don't crave praise at a job or need to feel validated by others for my accomplishments. I work to live baby, never the other way around.
So for a litany of reasons, I made the choice to stay where I was for now, and Superwife, as always, remains my stalwart supporter. As long as I am happy, she is happy for me. She is the absolute tits, in case I haven't said so lately, btw. It is so great that the only friend whose opinion I honestly value, who supports me no matter what, also happens to be my wife. If we were ever to part ways, I am so screwed, because I could never ask for a better partner in life.
I guess now it remains to be seen how much this event will impact the direction of my life, at least in the short term. Maybe my decision isn't as life-changing as getting stabbed in the heart, but only time provides the appropriate context to put these kinds of events in.
See, I don;t know what I would have done either.
As long as you are happy in your heart, that's really all that matters.
Since everything I needed to know about life I learned from Star Wars I went with the heart-stabbing fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants tactic and uprooted my family and turned us into Nomads. (Or would that be Mad Max?)
As long as your happy though, right?
Now I can't identify with the Star Trek notion, but I can completely understand that feeling that only your family matters. Having someone standing behind you no matter what means more than anything else.
It's incredibly healthy that you don't need someone at work telling you you're doing a good job in order for you to feel like you have worth. People like that are usually the ones that are alienating their family by getting too involved in work. Kudos, you're a good person and when your daughter thinks the world of you for her entire life, you'll know that you've done right.
Man, is there any way that you people could be better for my self-esteem? Isn't anyone going to tell me I was an asshole here?
Thanks for the encouragement all. And Em, I don't know if Trin will think the world of me or not, but as long as she knows that I think the world of her, I'll be satisfied.