1. Grief And Loss - "Tears Of The Prophets" (Deep Space Nine)
Perhaps this is the most important lesson to learn. How do you deal with the loss of a loved one particularly the one you chose to share your life with? Jadzia Dax is killed by the Pah-Wraith inhabiting Gul Dukat's body as Worf is away with Captain Sisko on a Star Fleet assault of the Dominion-held Chin'Toka system. What makes her death so poignant is that Dukat murders her while she is giving thanks at the Bajoran shrine on the station giving thanks for the fact that she and Worf can now have children together. When Worf is finally re-united with a dying Jadzia, she laments that their children "would have been beautiful." In true Klingon fashion, Worf howls her death, warning those in the Klingon after-life of her soul's impending arrival. It is a primal, visceral reaction that teaches us that a partner's loss is a wound, deep and savage. Worf's response is not only understandable but ... human. How else can you to respond to that sort of a life-shattering event? Worf shows us that you get through it any way you can. After her death, Worf led a mission on the IKS Rotarran to destroy a Dominion ship-yard, dedicating its destruction to Jadzia's memory and to ensure her place in Sto-Vo-Kor, the Klingon after-life. Worf's single-mindedness in its destruction was matched only by the depth of his grief. Jadzia once remarked about Worf that for a Klingon who was raised by humans, wore a Star Fleet uniform and drank prune juice, he could get pretty hung up on Klingon tradition. Worf's character only serves to illustrate ways of appreciating life in all its many wonderful and challenging aspects. Life doesn't follow tradition it follows its own path and the only way to deal with it is to take it as it comes. Instead of trying to make long-term life plans, plan to go the distance with life. In a word k'Plah!
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
