I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who. I could talk at length about the show for days, but this article juxtaposes the show to our reality and gives a little insight on what inspired me to write the poem, A Tribute to The Doctor: Part I, in my book, A Decade: Rethinking the Meaning of Life.
Yes, the production value until more recently left a lot to be desired, but it’s also what makes the show great, and after stumbling upon the 2005 reboot series I’ve been hooked ever since. A lot of people laugh it off as just some silly kids show, but, it is so much more than that; as I find with most well-written shows, especially in the SciFi genre. If you look past some of the cheesy props and dialogue and put yourself in the shoes of The Doctor and/or his companions, the show takes on an entirely new form. There are so many great concepts and thought-provoking material, that those with any type of imagination or an open mind could really get into the show.
I discovered the reboot series in 2009, thank you Netflix, and what I find funny is that I thought up a concept comic strip called The Adventures of Ski with several storyboards back in 2001. The character was a failed game show host that lived in a cardboard box underneath a highway overpass that just so happened to be much bigger on the inside, just like a TARDIS. I jokingly thought after watching my first ever Doctor Who episode that they stole my idea, however, a quick internet search revealed that the show has in fact been around since the 60’s; so, I was the one late to the party. Perhaps this was why I was so fascinated by the first episode I watched.
Maybe these are the ideas every child has playing make-believe in the box the refrigerator came in or maybe they instinctively know there is something far greater out there and this is how they express themselves. Sure, maybe there is no time traveling Time Lord coming to take us on a life-changing adventure, but isn’t the point of life; to expand one’s understanding and purpose of their existence here on earth?
As humans we are brought up by our parents or lack thereof, we go to school to learn, and I use the word ‘learn’ loosely; we get older, get a job, have a family of our own, maybe we don’t and eventually die and so the cycle continues. I understand that’s a general way to view life, but when you stop to think about it… isn’t that what the majority of life is for most; the overall endgame?
It’s just like the first episode in the reboot series titled Rose. The episode follows Rose, a girl that lives with her mom in a small apartment in London. She works at a clothing store, hangouts with her boyfriend on her lunch break and lives a very typical life. However, that all changed when she met the mysterious Doctor and was shown infinite possibilities that exist changing her life forever. She realizes just how vast reality is, all while discovering her true potential and what she was capable of; ultimately coming face to face with her life purpose. Most of what she considered important before her transformation became inconsequential.
I’d say the majority of us are just like Rose before she met the doctor. So much potential and ability wasted on the mundane and ordinary things we call life, or at least this life; the one we are living and remember. We fail to see we are destined for more than we have been led to believe.
As humans, we think so small and act so petty, which is silly considering our existence is a mere blip of infinite outcomes and possibilities. You, as consciousness, are infinite and will never cease to exist. That consciousness may never see this reality again, yet we confine ourselves to a mediocre physical existence acquiring stuff instead of knowledge, to expand the thinking mind to experience our full potential and purpose on this plane of existence at the current time and in our current form. The body is just the vessel and isn’t who we are. Just as The Doctor regenerates, or to some, reincarnates, his physical body changes, but his consciousness of who he is, never dies. It may take him some time to adjust to pick up where he left off, just like a baby growing into a child and later an adult, but the body only dictates the lessons needed to learn and fulfill our destiny. It puts us in the position to meet the people we need to meet and experience what we need to experience to grow and develop. And no matter how far we may go to escape it, the universe will always find us no matter where we try to hide. Even the Doctor can’t outrun his own destiny, even though he continues to try. But in the words of the infamous River Song… ‘Spoilers!’
We are born into this world alone, we leave this world alone. There may be those who support you along the way. People we call friends, family etc. There may be those that try to bring you down, which can be the very same people. It’s like what Morpheus says to Neo, “I told you, I can only show you the door, only you can walk through it.”
Perhaps this is our hell on earth because we aren’t on the path to fulfilling our life purpose and unlocking our true potential. Maybe our current life path isn’t meant for us. Maybe at one point, it was necessary to start our journey, but now that we have grown and become aware of our existing consciousness, it’s time to turn over a new leaf. This may seem unsettling to many, nevertheless something I want everyone to ponder for a little while.
The truth is you can’t rely on others to define who you are. As an infinite being, you are no one’s possession. We may refer to a spouse, family member or loved one as MY, but let me clarify this, that you don’t own or possess anyone, nor does anyone person own or possess you. Manmade traditions or titles can never own or control that which is conscious.
I have been told by many that one day I will find the right person, settle down, have children and pursue a life like the one which they chose, and my answer is always the same…it’s not going to happen. Why would I for one second let someone else dictate my life or base my decisions on what other people think is right for me?
If you read the poem, Off The Beaten Path, in my book, I realized that going against the grain was a difficult and sometimes lonely journey. I’m sure The Doctor could agree with that statement. Like The Doctor, you will have many companions throughout your journey from all walks of life and other times you’ll have to go it alone. And at some point, we all must come to terms that the physical body will eventually die and our consciousness will return in a different form to learn the lessons we failed to learn the last time around or perhaps to continue exactly where we left off. Because we are conditioned throughout life to accept our reality as absolute we often feel alone because just like the child playing in the refrigerator box pretending it’s a TARDIS know deep down that the universe is an infinite place and as infinite beings we have infinite potential.
It isn’t until those we call family, friends, teachers or experts convince us otherwise. Why you may ask? Because these same people ignored their own life purpose and have failed to realize their own potential for the pursuit of fiat bank notes and material wealth or social status and/or gain. What petty and nonsensical behavior, indeed.