In the clip the main character, Benjamin Sisko, is trying to explain about the basic nature of humanity to a group of aliens who have no concept of the passage of time. To them the past, present and future are all one and known whereas for humanity we leave the past behind, exist in the present and move to the future.
I think it is interesting and quite thought provoking that Sisko places the emphasis on the nature of humanity not on where it has been (although in earlier scenes he emphasises how we learn from our past), but rather on where we are going, on the next step in our journey, on what awaits us even if it is unknown at present.
There are huge resonances I think here with how Christianity views the nature of humanity. In the Bible we are pushed from simple beginnings along a continuum of development and progression, technologically, as a society and in our understanding and relationship with the Creator. This is reflected both in the pages of the Bible and also through the long history of the development of life in this universe and on our world itself.
The aliens initially fear Sisko. They view him as trapped in his past and what he (and as as representative of humanity itself) was then rather than looking ahead and viewing the possibilities to come as Sisko points out to them.
For ourselves it is clearly not only a lot more pragmatic and constructive to take the second viewpoint but I would argue it is actually also the exciting way of viewing life and the Universe that God calls us as believers to seize and rejoice in.
As creatures created in the image of a creative and active God we too are called to innovate, create and explore reflecting those qualities of the Creator. These properties appear widespread throughout all sectors of humanity in the world today in one form or another. The level and way in which we utilise and invoke them marks us out as separate to all other lifeforms on our world.
I would much rather our species become known for these properties rather than how well or rigidly we stuck to an opinion, specific doctrine or a theology. Sometimes those things can be good, sometimes not, but either way they should flow out of our activities rather than our activities being limited by what we think on things at any particular moment.
To think we know all is arrogance, to explore that which we do not know is our calling.
The aliens initially fear Sisko. They view him as trapped in his past and what he (and as as representative of humanity itself) was then rather than looking ahead and viewing the possibilities to come as Sisko points out to them.
For ourselves it is clearly not only a lot more pragmatic and constructive to take the second viewpoint but I would argue it is actually also the exciting way of viewing life and the Universe that God calls us as believers to seize and rejoice in.
As creatures created in the image of a creative and active God we too are called to innovate, create and explore reflecting those qualities of the Creator. These properties appear widespread throughout all sectors of humanity in the world today in one form or another. The level and way in which we utilise and invoke them marks us out as separate to all other lifeforms on our world.
I would much rather our species become known for these properties rather than how well or rigidly we stuck to an opinion, specific doctrine or a theology. Sometimes those things can be good, sometimes not, but either way they should flow out of our activities rather than our activities being limited by what we think on things at any particular moment.
To think we know all is arrogance, to explore that which we do not know is our calling.
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2 comments:
It's Star Wars Day, and you go on about Star Trek like it's the gospel....honestly!! ;)
Star Wars day? Never heard of it, but awwwww, very cute. The kiddies do need something after all.
Meanwhile the grown ups will watch Star Trek. :-)
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