It's not a state secret that I'm a very big fan of sci-fi and fantasy; and I honestly prefer watching Batman/Superman/Wolverine being anti-social while kicking some ass without breaking a sweat, than watching Horatio Caine play musical chairs with his sunglasses while choking on some lame one-liner during another montage-filled episode of any given CSI (especially the Miami one...I REALLY don't like that one!).
And as with anything that we choose to have in our lives, just because I say I like sci-fi doesn't mean that I will watch anything with lasers, aliens and superpowers in them (I've never liked Start Trek).
Some time ago I was re-watching Startgate SG1 (and ultimately Stargate Atlantis) and I realised that episodes with a certain, very specific, plot made me even more giddy than usual (yes, I used the word giddy...YOU try and say it and keep feeling down in the dumps!). Anyway, time-travel...I absolutely love watching shows that feature time-travel in some shape or form. But most of the shows I watch, only dedicate about one episode every two seasons to time-travel, which is in no way satisfactory to my needs. Five years ago, all of that changed for me.
I met The Doctor. Timelord. Lunatic. Comedian. Humanitarian. If you have not heard of The Doctor...go to Wikipedia (I'm seriously not going to try and educate you on the subject matter...it'll take forever!). Just know that this show first started in 1965 - 47 years of information will keep you busy for quite some time. The Doctor is (according to him) the last of his kind, over 900 years old, travels through time and space in a blue police box called the Tardis (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) and he does a lot of running...a LOT of running!
But I tried figuring out why I prefer time-travel to any other form of sci-fi, and you know what I found? It's not because of all the close-to-death adventures that lie waiting in another time, or the aliens you could meet if you travel to the year five-billion.
It's about seeing and experiencing cultures and people that time has forgotten. Incidentally this is also why I love stories of ghost-towns and abandoned buildings so much...the mystery. I want to know the story of what happened there, and WHY it happened.
So, no, I don't necessarily want to become a time-travelling vigilante brandishing guns, swords and lightsabers, but I love the idea of meeting lost civilizations during the time in history that they were still flourishing.
On the other hand, everything would happen out of order if you were to travel through time on a regular basis...it might get a little bit confusing. Maybe that's why The Doctor is a bit of a lunatic.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Perspective
Do you remember when you were a little kid, you would grab your toy cars, or toy dolls (in my case they were mostly cars) and you would build racing tracks in the sand; you would have complete control over those cars, and the tracks would become a world on its own.
Or... I had a few dolls too, and my sister and I used to build little houses inside drawers, stacking the drawers in a fashion that would resemble a neighbourhood, complete with streets. This would obviously entertain us for hours (or until her doll made my doll mad, and then we would refuse to talk to each other for a while).
I reckon it's pretty safe to say that, at some point in everyone's life, you've constructed a mini-world around you, and you were the ruler of that world. Everything was small enough for you to control, and nothing was so big that it freaked you out.
And then we grow up, and we allow things to freak us out all the time. I know there are quite a few things in our lives nowadays that cause us to hyperventilate, become insecure or force us to curl up in bed. I'm not here to diminish the problems and pain you may be going through, but I want you to do one thing...just one thing: Take one step back; and if one step isn't enough, take two, or three. Does that thing look even a little bit smaller? Is it small enough to fit onto your race track in the sand? Just a little bit, I hear you say?
Well...that's progress!
Gaining perspective on the things that are in our lives is a surefire way of keeping yourself sane and healthy, but you can't do it alone. Surround yourself with people you trust; people that are NOT freaked out by the same things you are. Chances are they'll help you see the loopholes; help you see it for what it truly is.
Now...go stand on your head and look at the world!
Or... I had a few dolls too, and my sister and I used to build little houses inside drawers, stacking the drawers in a fashion that would resemble a neighbourhood, complete with streets. This would obviously entertain us for hours (or until her doll made my doll mad, and then we would refuse to talk to each other for a while).
I reckon it's pretty safe to say that, at some point in everyone's life, you've constructed a mini-world around you, and you were the ruler of that world. Everything was small enough for you to control, and nothing was so big that it freaked you out.
And then we grow up, and we allow things to freak us out all the time. I know there are quite a few things in our lives nowadays that cause us to hyperventilate, become insecure or force us to curl up in bed. I'm not here to diminish the problems and pain you may be going through, but I want you to do one thing...just one thing: Take one step back; and if one step isn't enough, take two, or three. Does that thing look even a little bit smaller? Is it small enough to fit onto your race track in the sand? Just a little bit, I hear you say?
Well...that's progress!
Gaining perspective on the things that are in our lives is a surefire way of keeping yourself sane and healthy, but you can't do it alone. Surround yourself with people you trust; people that are NOT freaked out by the same things you are. Chances are they'll help you see the loopholes; help you see it for what it truly is.
Now...go stand on your head and look at the world!
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