138- Star Trek

You may find it odd that I post this, but it actually has a purpose. The fact that today 50 years ago, the first Star Trek episode has no direct bearing on my mental health. Yet, star trek has been an important part of my life, ever since I first discovered it, about 30 years ago.



I was a child, living with my father, his wife and my siblings. As you recall from previous posts, he is a religious cult leader and have had many strict rules, including very limited access to tv- till I had none. 

I would watch it on rare occasions that I was alone at home, in secret, or during my visits to my grandparents, where my grand father had a tv waiting for me. 

My youth and adolescence were bleak, and I had lost most of my hopes for a better life. 

When I watched Star Trek, it gave me more than entertainment : at first, it was a massive escapism. 
With it, I learned English, which would become a very important part of my life and without which, I wouldn't married to my wife, whom I met online : she was in the USA, I in France.

But, in the meanwhile, Star Trek had grown to give me back some hope - through an imagined future with a better humankind, that had mostly become atheist and which was a good source of hope for me, growing up in a religious cult. 
But, the journey to free myself from the shackles of  this upbringing was quite long. It took me many years to find a way out of the cult, and a few more years before I stopped doubting my choice of doing so. 

Some years ago, I mentioned Star Trek to a friend online. He told one of his friends, who'd told him that she was also a trekkie.He put us in contact, and she became me wife after we had chatted with that English I'd learned (see above). Full circle, right ? 

Now, when I feel sad, depressed, there aren't that many things that I can do : listening to music is usually a good choice, but sometimes it worsens my mood... However, one thing has never caused me any depression : watching Star Trek, the original or the spin offs, has always helped me and this is one reason why I continue watching, again and again over the years : I remained faithful not only because of good stories and movies stories, but also because it keeps me sane-r and less depressed than I could sometimes be. 

Star trek has been a tremendous part of my life, and I enjoy it immensely. It has helped shape who I became, who I am today. 

So, yes, I celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, not just because I'm a geek and love science-fiction, and besides, it's my right to do for any of the reasons that I chose to use on any given day. 

Live long,  prosper, and heal :)