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Hi, I’m jimmy,
Once again, Captain of the Starship, Logic.
It is not easy to change habits. We are like a horse and rider. The “rider” is our consciousness – the horse is our subconscious, our genetic instincts, and our habits. When we discover a better way to do something, we can make our horse do it. However, when we stop thinking about it, our old habits kick in and we go back to our old ways – until – we have trained our horse to go the new way. It’s like learning a new sports’ move or new language. It takes practice, practice, practice. That practice actually creates new neural pathways so we don’t even think about it – we just do it. But no one will ever be perfect at it.
Today, we examine the “Point of Light” episode of Star Trek Discovery. This contains Spoilers. Please buy and watch Discovery at CBS all access.
First up is Michael’s false dilemma:
Conflict between logic and emotion
There is no conflict between logic and emotion. They are symbiotic. The Vulcan problem is the illogical idea that helpful emotions and self-defeating emotions are joined at the hip, that you can’t have one without the other. Nice feeling sensations and emotions are what make life worth living, make us want to do things – to improve. What good is, “live long and “prosper” if we ain’t having no fun? Moreover, some moderately painful emotions motivate us to change for the better.
Next, the common confusion that what “triggers” an emotion causes that emotion.
Her not understanding the mysterious lights triggers her belief that that not having a relationship with Spock would be a cataclysm. It “feels” like a failure because she believes it is a failure. Moreover, she fortune tells, exaggerates that this is a do or die, last chance.
This next scene seems positive, but in the long run, it sets Tilly up to hurt herself, again and again, eventually give up, burn out.
Michael rated Tilly’s whole person, not just what she did. While this triggers Tilly to feel great about her whole self, the catch is that when Tilly screws up in the future, she has now been trained to condemn her whole self and feel miserable. Rate the act, not the person. Even though most people will rate the whole person, we can mentally translate it into performance praise so we don’t set ourselves up to feel miserable the next time we fail, do not come in “first”, or when someone condemns us for some sub par performance or failure.
Next, Pike illustrates the how conflicting beliefs cause conflicting emotions.
Since Pike believes both that he “must” follow regulations and that he “should” not betray his friend, he has mixed emotions. This also illustrates the necessity of forcefully adopting new beliefs as well as the reality of residual beliefs, the impossibility of perfectly changing.
Next we see the demagogues’ favorite tools to acquire power, to start wars.
Racism, nationalism – we’re better than the other guys. They’re really the same thing. While it is good to preserve culture for entertainment and historical purposes, the only way to improve is to change. If remaining Klingon is so damn important, why aren’t they living in caves, riding animals and using oil lanterns? The independence of their clans is traditional and they are giving that up. But the important point, to paraphrase Krishnamurti, is “When you call yourself an Indian, Jew, Muslim, Christian, European, Klingon, or anything else, you are tearing a hole in humanity. When you separate yourself by belief, nationality, tradition, or race, it breeds violence. The Klingons have perfected it.
Now, more from the guys who paint bulls-eyes on all the chips they set on their shoulders.
Pain from actual flesh wounds doesn’t phase ‘em. But they can’t stand too be next to a human, who is half Klingon – Their racism is so in our faces. They are so insecure about their self-worth, they are eager to find reasons to fight and die to “prove” they are worthy. Dead people don’t feel honor. Dead people don’t feel anything. They could end the pain with a little logic. But that same logic would end the pretense that their honor was sacred.
Next L’Rell gives good advice.
Don’t care about what anyone thinks of you
Certainly don’t destroy your life over someone else’s opinion. On the other hand, we all want things from our mates, friends, society, our career, family, and so on. So it is important to care about what some people think, up to a point. But don’t beat yourself up or get diverted from what is really important to you over somebody’s opinion.
Now, L’Rell flips to the other side.
Only care what I think.
Most important is what we think about ourselves. That we can control. Everyone has worth to themselves, self-worth by definition. At the other end, we are all virtually worthless to the billions we don’t interact with.
Next is some pseudo psychology about why Spock allegedly killed 3 doctors.
because he’s emotionally compromised.
“Emotionally compromised” first appeared in the Star Trek reboot after Spock’s mother and 99.9999…% of all Vulcans had been murdered and his home planet destroyed – a very plausible trauma which could cause extreme behavior. However, here the writers have jumped far too far. Now, they have a guilt-fest of mea cupla speeches showing what they mean by, “Emotionally Compromised”, trying to justify whatever that is, as the cause of Spock’s alleged murder spree.}
He didn’t have a normal childhood.
Who had a “normal” childhood? What is normal? Ozzie and Harriet? Father knows best. Not even in the 50’s were those fantasies average or a median. Facts, details, research – please
And any display of emotion was strongly discouraged.
And in order not to confuse my son…I began to hide my own.
{No emotions would be confusing, but not the devastation they claim.}
I was not…a real mother.
{`The question is,’ said Alice in wonderland, `whether you can make words mean so many different things?’ They have changed the meaning of “real” to “good” – and not even defined good. She was obviously his real mother. The word Good, alone, is just noise without “real” meaning.}
Mother continues:
I wasn’t what he needed.
{What did he need? Where is the science proving that he “needed” whatever she has not told us?}
You gave us love, every second.
{Every second? What exactly did she give them every second? Love is probably the biggest buzzword of them all. We “feel” many types of “love”, some instinctual, 7 types according to Psychology Today, 10 according to other sources. We can do things for people that show our feelings for them, and that they may “love” us for. But you cannot give love, whatever your Humpty Dumpty, personal definition}
I gave you all my joy…
{You can experience “joy”. You can do things that might trigger joy in other people, but you cannot give joy or love, much less all of your own. This episode is buzzwords on parade}
and my… affection
that I was not permitted to give to him.
{Affection is nice, and can bond people. But where is the proof that whatever she did for Michael and didn’t do for Spock, is what Spock “needed”?}
If he had been permitted to embrace
the feelings that I know he has inside of him,
it would’ve saved him from all the trouble
that he’s in now.
{And Who wants to embrace despair, depression, desperation, and the myriad other, self-defeating, painful emotions? How does she know it would have saved him? The Klingons embrace their emotions – insecurity, hate, anger, envy, etc., getting themselves into wars, feuds, duels, dead at an early age, almost got their whole race wiped out last season.
Now Amanda switches hats}
That vision changed him forever. I…
I watched him withdraw. I saw him lose trust in other people.
{Now this is plausible. The vision definitely could have been traumatic to Spock. But Hell, Traumatic Incident Reduction has been “curing” PTSD since the 1990’s. This is supposed to be after 2230. What’s with all this ‘irreparable’ nonsense? If you or someone your love or know has PTSD, please read more about TIR in this video’s description. }
It was because of me. So, I had to wound him deep enough to keep him away from me.
{Did she use a knife? Since children are so suggestible and Spock did dote on her, he probably did beat himself up over her words. However, as an adult he could dispute and replace the belief that her words were so awful and get over it. It is possible that Michael’s words were traumatic to Spock. But, as I have already pointed out, Traumatic Incident Reduction would have eliminated that problem.}
The fact that you’re not saying anything means
that you must have hurt him irreparably.
{No it does not! It only proves Michael believes she hurt him irreparably. Rational Therapy, and TIR if it was a trauma, help people get over, whatever, all the time, have done so for decades.
Back to this soap opera}
True. If Ash had never known about the son, he would never have felt any pain about him. While there is an instinctual, genetic factor, their exaggerated beliefs about how horrible it is, throw fuel on that fire, needlessly increasing their pain. Moreover, accurately ranking intense pains is not possible. Here they try again.
All they really know is that their feelings were very intense. They cannot have experienced exactly what their icons felt so there is no way to say whose were greater. They are really just bragging that they are the greatest of the greatest. Drama queens.
The two sides of me felt whole.
We all have many “sides”, many different beliefs, which often conflict, create the discomfort of conflicting emotions. Perhaps seeing someone with similar problems might get one to see that being different is not horrible. But attacking the awfulness of being different and replacing it with “so what, it’s their problem” is the cure – not to say that in certain circumstances we won’t have to tip toe around their problem. Whining about it only reinforces it, contrary to popular venting theory.
The Buzzwords parade continues.
Not “belonging”, whatever he means, is not horrible. Believing whatever is awful is what creates his pain. And Belong? Is this a slave auction? No one really “belongs” to anyone else. Who, where, whatever we “belong to” or belongs to us is seldom “true” for a lifetime. Go with the flow. Places and organizations don’t own you, well not since feudal times, though credit cards have created a kind of indentured servitude class. I love the native American wisdom, “arguing over who owns a piece of land is like two fleas arguing over who owns the dog. Commit to people and causes; but not suicide over them.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will only hurt be when I believe ’em” – to be AWFUL
I’m Jimmy Walter, Thanks for watching. Please subscribe
Jimmy Walter 