Ten Life Lessons from Doctor Who
Just because The Doctor arranges his day by what fun he can get into doesn’t mean he’s one to take the easy way out. Doctor Who’s life is a page turning thriller of beings and worlds, both saved and lost. In every instance, The Doctor plays a role in making each situation he encounters as right as he can.
He’s not perfect, and sometimes I would just as soon kick him in the rear as give him a hug (if he were real). He’s always striving, though: “He saves worlds, rescues civilizations, defeats terrible creatures and runs a lot.” — Donna Noble in “The Doctor’s Daughter”. And, of course, he has a ton of fun on the way!
You could surely have a worse role model. I know I’d like to incorporate a few lessons of his story into my life in a meaningful way. The following is in no order of importance. The numbering is only to prove that there are ten items.
- Be passionate about what you do. – Live (and dress, if you have the style) with panache!
- Be aware and think about the whys and wherefores of your life. – Brilliant thinking beats brute force, and pretty much every other force, any day.
- Try to make the Universe a better place. – Stop injustice and lend a helping hand, where possible. Also, know when you can’t.
- Know when and how to say “no”. – Don’t say “yes” for anyone’s convenience, only when you know it is a productive and positive response.
- When wondering what to do next, think: “What would be the most fun?” – As soon as the answer comes to you, set off to do it!
- Be loyal to your friends and give them what they need. – Whether that’s a laugh, your life, or a swift kick in the arse.
- Be as honest as possible, but never tell your entire story to anyone. – A little mystery always makes things just a bit tastier.
- Speaking of honesty, always seek out hypocrisy in yourself and destroy it if you can. – The Doctor has some recurring trouble with this one. I admired him for facing it, once realized, even if I have the feeling it won’t ever go away totally.
- What hurts one, hurts all. The only life you should ever sacrifice should be your own. – That’s one thing that kills me about the Torchwood mini-series. Captain Jack spouts the words with no clue to the intent, inflicting his own well deserved pain. Then again, the poor man should really be totally flipping insane after being buried for 1,800 years; suffocating and reviving, again and again. I think he’s doing remarkably well, considering.
- Visit a place where they use the terms “brilliant” and “clever” and mean it on a regular basis. – I swear, if that part is for real, I wouldn’t mind moving to the UK just to hear it.
One thing that I think is awesome about The Doctor is that he only succeeds at pulling off these attributes himself most of the time. Other times, he shows just how difficult they are to maintain. If they are hard for a Time Lord, who has instant access to any amusement and situation he would care to find for himself, it makes it a bit more digestible that life kicks my human ass from time to time. But then he also shows me how to knock off the dust, give the world a big grin and keep on going!
Updated 6 Feb 2010:
I wrote the above following my recent consumption of the Doctor Who TV Series 1-4. I’ve just started in on Season 1 (1963) and have a feeling my perceptions of the character are going to change as I romp my way through the years and the episodes. What an amazing show! Of course, I’m going to have to punish my hubby for introducing me to such a diversion…
