Star Trek – When the Rules Don’t Apply to You
Then there was that time on Star Trek when everyone got the Coronavirus because one officer didn’t listen to Spock …
Well, not exactly. And there are many great lessons to learn from the classic Star Trek episode, “The Naked Time”, but I only want to focus on one. Nearly everyone aboard the starship Enterprise died because one man didn’t think the rules applied to him.
Investigating the deaths of an entire research team, Mr. Spock and Lt. Tormolen enter the research station wearing protective suits to avoid any possible contamination. They don’t want to risk contact with whatever alien disease has killed everyone there.
However, while Spock is in another room, the lieutenant removes his glove to scratch his itchy nose, then continues to scan the area with his hand exposed to the elements. He puts the glove back on as Spock returns and commands that they be certain to touch nothing.
Straight-laced authority figures like Spock always think the rules apply to everybody. No exceptions. They care nothing for people’s feelings, scheduled plans, or personal goals. They always think the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and every individual has to toe the line for the sake of the community as a whole. We all recognize these types of leaders, in schools and government and the workplace. The thing about these leaders is … they’re usually right.
You might not like or respect them. You might not agree with most of their decisions. But it doesn’t matter what you think of them.
One man took off his glove to scratch his nose, ignoring the standard procedure to touch nothing at all. Within seconds, he became contaminated, just for exposing his hand to the atmosphere. That’s all he did. He wasn’t stupid or arrogant. He wasn’t angry or defiant. He just didn’t think the rules applied to him.
When the disease spread aboard the Enterprise, Lt. Tormolen was the first to die.
Others who were infected entered a drunken, delirious state in which nothing bothered them as they went on their merry way. Oblivious to the danger, they went on laughing and partying as the disease killed them slowly.
Last night I talked to a friend whose daughter is a paramedic. Yesterday, she transported her first Coronavirus patient to a hospital isolation ward. They wore full-body protective outfits, much like HazMat suits, and masks with respirators, to avoid any risk of infection. Still, she and her fellow paramedics must have their temperature checked every single day, and also after every transport of an infected person. They must then have their protective suits cleaned and sterilized. And of course, they must continually wash their hands to ensure they stay germ-free.
The only way any of us will make it through this crisis is with humility. Of course it’s inconvenient. Of course it’s stressful. Of course it interferes with our plans and requires us to do a lot of things we normally wouldn’t do, and have no desire to do. That’s what happens in a crisis. Which is what we are in.
In the future, there will still be other vacations and parties. We will still be able to have fun in the sun. We will still enjoy getting together with family and friends.
But the longer we wait to follow the rules for safely containing the spread of this virus, the longer we will wait for that day to come.
Please join together in following the rules that will benefit us all. Wash your hands regularly. Avoid large groups. Cancel some of your plans and parties and take this crisis seriously, for you own sake and the sake of everyone around you.
It only takes one person to spread a deadly disease. Instead, be the person who’s humble enough to save lives.
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