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One of the Greatest Lessons


Spock's great lesson
The words of Gene Roddenberry:

"A few days ago, in one of my lovely conversations with Spock, I came away with a piece of advice.  I'd like to pass it on to you.  He said that one of the great lessons that humans have to learn is not to incorporate anything into oneself that will disintigrate one.  That is the meaning of integrity—it is a relationship you have with yourself—integration.  Integrity.  If anything else—any thought or emotion or person—tries to force its way into the space between you and yourself, they've got to go.  Without regret, without remorse."

Is this consistent with a love for humanity?

"Why would it not be?"

Because it may do damage to someone else.

"There's nothing damaging about a closed door.  People often damage themselves by beating themselves against it.  That human yearning for intimacy carries them into places they have no right to be.  It's the product of an adolescent species.  They don't understand what it means to be intimate with themselves.  How can they truly be intimate with another person?  Or people.  Spock has a lot to teach us about the maturing of the human race.  I'm not responsible—and neither are you, neither is anyone—for anyone else's inability to grow up.  We may feel sorry for them, we may try to help them, as far as we can.  As far as it is right to do so.  But in the end, it is that repeated beating against the door that finally makes people look at themselves."

And intimacy...?

"Comes, I think, only with those who understand that—who have matured enough to understand that—or have not lost the maturity they had as children.  That self-contained freedom of childhood.  Otherwise, there is always that sense of loss over something that was never theirs in the first place.  Great foolishness, and a great waste of time."

Excerpted from Gene Roddenberry - The Last Conversation by Yvonne Fern




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