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From Star Trek come the words,
"If man is to survive, he will have learned to take delight in the
essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn
that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's
exciting variety, not something to fear."
These were the words that Mario
Crocetti, Principal of Wellington High School, used recently to close his
address to the graduating class of 2013. His message was one of
celebration of our pluralistic society. From the most local communities
to the communities of the wider world we occupy, people of great
diversity come together - often possessing and protecting very different
constructs of how to live their lives. The differences do not disappear.
However, our willingness to acknowledge them becomes all the more
essential to our survival in an ever coalescing world.
I was intrigued by the reference to Star Trek as a
vehicle for conveying this most important lesson. Here was a cult TV
program, lasting only three years (1996-1999), that morphed into movies -
the most recent, Star Trek into Darkness, currently showing - and
has become a cultural classic. Curious about its staying power, and its
ability to reinforce such an important message in a graduation speech, I
decided to do what we do best today, Google. I plugged in, "Star
Trek, Lessons Learned," and I found a multitude. David Borgenicht,
an author and a life-long trekkie, offered several I found compelling:
"The best way to travel is to boldly go where
no one has gone before." This is true for vacations, for
self-exploration, for life itself. If you want your days filled with
adventure, laughter, love, learning and the occasional mind-meld, follow
this route.
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of
the few--or the one." Sometimes you must make great sacrifices
for the greater good. And, like the Genesis device, it will all come back
around.
"The most powerful force in the universe is
friendship." It's more powerful than phasers, photon torpedos,
even more powerful than the force itself. With friends, you can
accomplish any task, escape any perilous situation, defeat any enemy--and
you get to laugh together when it's all over, an ongoing challenge for
humanity.
As I watch the outstanding students with whom I have had the
privilege of working, I am enthusiastic about their ability to build on
these "lessons" in college where there is much to learn, many
opportunities to grow and a future to plan. But there is nothing more
important than embracing the variety of people all bundled together. It
is a unique platform to "learn that differences in ideas and
attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something
to fear." It is also a time to consider other lessons of Star Trek:
go boldly; consider the needs of many; and embrace the most powerful
force in the universe, friendship.
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