"I don't believe in the no-win scenario."

The scene was pretty grim – Captain Kirk, well, actually Admiral Kirk, now, and the rest of the landing party were trapped in a cave beneath the surface of a barren planet. The Enterprise was long gone, and it looked like all hope was lost. One of the members of the party, a young lieutenant, Saavik, who had just graduated from Starfleet Academy, took this time to ask the old admiral something that had been bugging her. It was about the “Kobayashi Maru”, a special test they gave in the academy for which there was no good solution to the problem. The test was graded on how well you lost.

Saavik: "Sir, may I ask you a question?"
Kirk: "What's on your mind, Lieutenant?"
Saavik: "The Kobayashi Maru, sir."
Kirk: "Are you asking me if we're playing out that scenario now?"
Saavik: "On the test, sir. Will you tell me what you did? I would really like to know."
McCoy: "Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario."
Saavik: "How?"
Kirk: "I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship."
Saavik: "What?"
David: "He cheated."
Kirk: "I changed the conditions of the test. Got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose."
Saavik: Then you never faced that situation. Faced death.
Kirk: I don't believe in the no-win scenario.

At that moment, Kirk’s communicator beeped, and Spock’s familiar voice came through: “We’re ready to pick you up , sir.” The look of shock was evident on everyone’s face, as it became clear that Kirk had a rescue plan worked out all along. As they dissolved into the transporter beam, Kirk looked at Saavik and repeated, “I don’t like to lose.”

Wow. That was a fantastic scene, the kind that made Star Trek fans want to jump out of their seats and start cheering. The year was 1982 and the movie was “Star Trek II: The Wrath of the Khan”.

So, why do I bring this up? Well, fast forward 25 years to 2007. Dr. Randy Pausch, A university professor at Carnegie Mellon, is faced with his own Kobayashi Maru test, having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Shortly after learning that treatment was futile, he was asked to give a “Last Lecture”. It a common practice for professors to give a special lecture to students which would sum up their life experience and all that they had to share, as if he was about to die and this was his last chance to share what was most important to him. The fact that Dr. Pausch actually did have terminal cancer was just a coincidence, yet it made all the difference. On Sept 18, 2007, he stepped onto the lecture stage for the last time, and gave an unforgettable speech. It was recorded, and you can still see it on the web (below). The speech was incredible and was soon watched by millions across the web (the current YouTube count is 6,662,280).

One of the people touched by his talk was William Shatner, the actor who played Kirk in Star Trek. He was so moved by Dr. Pausch’s stand that he sent him an autographed photo, with that classic quote from the movie “The Wrath of Khan”:
“I don’t believe in the no-win scenario.”

That was a beautiful quote to read, especially in the context of someone fighting cancer. At the core of the cancer experience is the word "Hope": Hope for healing, hope for recovery, hope for survival, hope for a reason, a purpose, for something good to come out of the dark valley. Dr. Pausch did not recover from his cancer, but in the way he dealt with death, and life, he taught the world a great deal. William Shatner's sentiment expressed that beautifully.

For those of you who have not yet seen Dr. Pausch's famous "Last Lecture", just click below to see the video. It's well worth your time.

As they should be...

Great quote from a bumper sticker:

"I'm CDO. It's like OCD,

but the letters are in alphabetical order

...as they should be."

Wise Investments

The quote for the day comes from my all-too-witty wife, Gana, after discussing finances and asking that "Where is the money going? question:
"Braces are an investment, so that our kids can attract and marry doctors and lawyers. :)"

- - - -

PS. I actually have FOUR children in braces, and wonder why I feel dirt poor... ;-)

Waiting on a Woman

There is a great video on YouTube for the song "Waiting on a Woman" by Brad Paisley. It stars Andy Griffeth and has a beautiful, bittersweet ending. A must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKgnkIN8C8

Just Say No

Just a few days after Josh & I went to Six Flags, a teenager lost his life at the same park in a tragic accident. Apparently the boy wanted to get to a ride quickly, and rather than taking the walkway, he decided to climb two 6-foot fences and ignore multiple signs warning him of danger. He was subsequently struck by a roller coaster and decapitated.

Now, the last thing I would want to do is add any burden on his poor parents, already terribly overwhelmed with grief. But so often I see children being raised in ways that (unintentionally) lead to trouble, sometimes tragic. We do not just raise children to be good to kids today, but also to be safe, wise & hopefully a blessing to the world tomorrow. As a basic starting point of that, they need to realize that many boundaries should not be crossed. Even if they whine or beg or plead, "but everyone ELSE has an XBox, and BY GOLLY, I'm HUNGRY and I want that Big Mac NOW!"

Please.

I was just in a conversation with a co-worker talking about the rules we place on our children. His notion was that only rules regarding safety were needed. Ok, so don't run across a busy street. That's a start. But what about respecting common decency, or the rights of others? What about rules to guide one in wisdom, growth, and health? What happens when his daughter wants to drop out of 9th grade because her 18-year-old boyfriend offered her a spot in his band?
And yes, we do want to teach kids to think for themselves, and to be brave & bold to explore. But there are some times in life when they also need to take a slice of humble pie, and recognize their boundaries.

The boy who lost his life at Six Flags may not have chosen death, but he did choose the path of death. How many young people today are making that same choice? And how do we guide them away from that? By teaching them that one critical lesson that every human needs to learn at some point: How to deal with the word "No".

Six Flags Day

I took Josh to Six Flags yesterday, and we had a fun time there. For Josh, the thrill of the water rides and roller coasters made the day. As an adult, I've lost the romance of waiting in line for one hour, to enjoy 2 minutes of being jostled around, but the one-on-one time was good.

This is a new parenting approach that Gana has taught me: I used to think that treating all the kids identically was essential, hence I wouldn't think of going to Six Flags unless all could go. But now we're doing more one-on-one activities, to let each child know how special they are. And to my surprise, the kids seem happy with that. Since each child is different, they usually want to do very different activities anyways.

One Six Flags life-saver: bringing along water bottles. I can't believe how much water we drank, and although the food/drink prices are outlandish, the food stands are happy to load you up with ice water.

So that you may be fruitful...

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:5-6