You have read Carrie’s post, now Let’s hear what Paul has for us.
So let’s have a go at it…
Doctor Who was one of my favorite science fiction shows growing up in Altus, Oklahoma. Back then, most Americans were only able to see Doctor Who on PBS. VHS tapes were not readily available, let alone DVD’s. Cable users only got HBO as an option—BBC America and SyFy didn’t exist yet. I was extremely upset when PBS stopped running the show for a time; even boycotted public broadcasting for 3 years as a result.
If you are not familiar with the show, Doctor Who originally aired in 1963. Its longevity was due in part by a creative plot device which allows the show to change its lead actor every so many years. The show technically experienced a brief hiatus for a while, before it was revived in 2005. The new Doctor Who series “has been running ever since”. During it time off of television, the show continued to live on through alternate forms of media like comic books, audio plays, and novels. So for many Whovians, Doctor Who has never really stopped.
My Doctor, which was the fourth Doctor in the series, was Tom Baker. He remained my favorite for many decades, mostly because he was my first Doctor. As I’ve matured as a fan though, I’ve grown to appreciate all the other Doctors and what each actor brought to the story’s history and legend. But during high school, I was for Tom Baker all the way. I even wore a scarf like my hero, though much shorter than the one on the show. My best friends at the time even nicknamed me The Doctor (and sometimes The Professor) and my 1972 Chevy Nova was my TARDIS (The Doctor’s primary transport device).
So what life lessons have I gleaned from watching Doctor Who? Well, let me start by saying that I’m only going to try to stay focused primarily on the first four Doctors, because my co-blogger did a good job covering the current ones. The first lesson is summed up best by a quote from William Hartnell, the first Doctor. In the third episode he said, “As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves.” This is an elegant quote—so simple in design, yet infinitely meaningful. It can mean that to know yourself, you much understand those around you. But it can also mean we are all influenced by those around us and they too are influenced by us. We can take it even further by saying that how others react to us, tells us about who we are. We might even say that the people around us are the ones best suited to tell us if we are doing something right or wrong. It’s just a fantastic philosophy to follow, because it covers so much ground.
The next Doctor was played by Patrick Troughton. His doctor was a bit of a clown at times, but he too had some sage advice. One of these is what he called his “special technique” that he used to figure out one particularly complex puzzle. His special technique was, “Keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut.” I’ve been to my share of meetings where everyone talked and talked, without really listening to what the other was saying, and sometimes not even listening to what they themselves said. There are times when it is just best to observe and listen. And I don’t mean pause just to let the other say something before you can say your bit. Stop and hear what the other is saying. Only then should you speak, and only if what you say is still relevant to the topic.
The third Doctor was played by Jon Pertwee. In the episode The Time Warrior, he said, “A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.” One of the best things I ever got for myself was a GPS for my car. You might think that this is contrary to what the Doctor is saying, but in fact, the GPS has allowed me to wander a lot more in my car trips. With the GPS, I don’t have to worry about getting too lost any more. In fact, I’ve gotten to see a lot of interesting countryside as a result.
Let’s come to Tom Baker now. There are just too many funny, witty quotes to list in one blog. So I’m going to give you my favorite. Now, I warn you, this quote really doesn’t have much meaning as a quote itself, but it is the context in which the quote was said that makes it significant to me. The Doctor said in one of his episodes, “Could you spare a glass of water?” What makes this meaningful is that the line was spoken while standing outside a door while in the pouring rain. I like this quote because it really reflects my sensibility. It taught me to look at the world through different eyes and see the humor in it all.
Let me end with this fitting quote from first Doctor, delivered by Richard Gibbon Hurndall, during a special reunion episode of Doctor Who called the Five Doctors. William Hartnell (the original) had long since passed away before this episode was filmed. Yet, Hurndall was able to give an eerily convincing performance as the first Doctor Who. His quote went, “One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.” So till the next blog, there must be no regrets, no tears, and no anxieties. Have a jelly baby instead.
Photo via http://twitter.com/#!/doctorwho_bbc
