Vulcan Wannabe

I've been an sf geek for as long as I can remember. Dune mattered far more to me as a kid than Jeffersonville, Indiana did (or, for your information, Middle Earth), and the identification I felt with Meg in Madeleine L'Engle's books was like a shard of glass in my chest for a decade (would I find my Calvin?), but few things spoke to me more deeply than Spock in ST re-runs Sunday mornings before I had to go to Mass. Later, in high school I read and loved Middlemarch, War and Peace, Leaves of Grass, To Kill a Mockingbird through a kind of weird Wannabe Vulcan lens.

The ongoing elaboration of Vulcan lifeways and philosophy in subsequent ST series has been a triumph in popular sf, proving that the gravity well of the lowest common denominator doesn't have to take everything that seems the least bit original, fine, interesting, or good and sentimentalize it and dumb it down over time into the same insipid vulgar falsified crap as everything else according to some inexplicable inextricable law.

Anyway, I always thought Vulcans were seriously hot as aliens go, and also model progressives (part of what makes them so hot), and they certainly always seemed compelling both because they were so worthy of emulation and at once so palpably nonidealized.

I have heard some people declare that the Vulcans were in some sense inspired by the popularity of the Ayn Rand cult of Might and Magical Thinking Mistaken for Reason, but of course Randroidal market fundamentalism and sociopathy is the farthest imaginable thing from Vulcan good sense and generosity of spirit.

Charlie Jane Anders over on io9 has posted this marvelous paean to Vulcan lifeways that really speaks to the Vulcan Wannabe I've nurtured in my breast since I was a kid. The article contains links to Vulcan proverbs and philosophy that can swallow an afternoon. Here are some snippets:

Vulcans are quite possibly the most fully realized alien race television or movies have ever created… Vulcans have a philosophy, a way of life, and a spiritual discipline. And they get things done. Best of all, you don't really need alien physiology and fancy powers to embrace the Vulcan way of life….

Vulcans supposedly don't have much in the way of emotions, right? … But they do wish you a long and prosperous life, because it's part of their philosophy. What we humans imperfectly translate as "logic" is really something more complicated -- pure logic wouldn't necessarily consider long life preferable to instant death…. But if "logic" is really a part of an attitude that includes a respect for life, then it makes total sense…. A lot of us pay lip service to diversity, but for Vulcans, it's one of the cornerstones of their philosophy…. It really is only logical: the more you learn about the universe, the more you discover that its power comes from its diversity of cultures as well as phenomena. So it just makes sense to appreciate "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations." …

Spock and most other Vulcans are vegetarian... Spock frequently says that it's illogical to kill without reason, and in one episode, he tells Dr. McCoy, "In a strict scientific sense, Doctor, we all feed on death -- even Vegetarians." … Put the needs of the many ahead of the few (or the one)…. [I]f you want to be a Vulcan, you probably need to spend more time thinking about how your own personal needs conflict with the needs of the many - and whether there are instances where you might be able to put others' needs first…. Stoicism... might now be called the Vulcan way of life. It's beautifully captured in the words of Spock's father: "What is necessary is never unwise." … That doesn't mean you should be passive, or avoid taking drastic action when circumstances require it. But knowing when to accept necessity and when to struggle is a pillar of Vulcan wisdom. (And I think this is where Kiri-kin-tha's First Law Of Metaphysics, "Nothing unreal exists," comes in. Part of stoicism is accepting reality.) …

Learn to meditate…. [I]f you really want to tame your boiling core of emotion, you need a practice that allows you to see the world as the nest of illusion it is. You must recognize that desire is both illusory and poisonous, and only then can you master your emotions… [B]eing more aware of your body and how you touch others, and how you enter other people's physical space. You can also learn to read people's body language, and understand the signals we're all constantly sending out. People communicate in many other ways besides language, and the more you can interpret this, the closer you'll get to being able to mind meld….

[R]ecognize, as the Vulcans do, that there really are times when it's pointless to fight your passion…. Vulcans teach us that in love, it's vital to go overboard and be dramatic. And our rituals and performances only add to the drama and give it context, rather than dampening it…. Recognize that your children are people, and that they need to be challenged as well as protected, and that sometimes befriending a giant beast is the best way to make sure they turn into awesome adults… Living like a Vulcan is something we humans will never be able to accomplish fully -- but it's something to aspire to. And maybe aspiring to Vulcan-hood can make us better humans.

So good!