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I remember when I was young…maybe I’m crayyyzee...(Gnarls Barkley); I thoroughly enjoyed the Battlestar Galactica TV series. I was too young to find it overly simplistic. I reveled in the sci-fi adventure, futuristic technology, and mechanical/diabolical Cylons. The series began with a brief history of a long war between man and the machines he created to serve him and the subsequent rebellion. Finally, after many years of war, there was to be a peace treaty. The left-wing politicians, in their infinite gullibility in the ultimate good of people (or in this case Cylons), fell for the trap hook, line, and sinker. The result was a devastating destruction of the human home world. Only a handful of survivors led by Adama, the single voice of caution (that went unheeded), escaped in search of a lost world, all the while pursued by the bloodthirsty Cyclons.
I remember how Black and white every thing was. Who was good or evil? What were the obvious choices? Who was right and who clearly wrong? I easily equated this to my emerging political point of view. I saw this story being played out in the Middle East. I thought peace with Egypt was a trap, I felt the Left was prepared to sell out the Jewish people based on a pipe dream. I lived in a world of black and white. Do what needs to be done no matter what the world thinks, no matter the backlash. Solutions were simple back then.
Fast forward 20+ years. A new version of Battlestar Galactica has entered its second season. It seems that the writers have evolved. This version is exceptional; with great depth, mystery, character development, politics, global issues, and even spirituality. What I find fascinating is that it is the mechanical Cyclons that are deeply spiritual, believing in the one God while the humans are the pagans! The Cylons wrestle with the proper way to convey the word of God. Should it be through force and if so how much do the ends justify the means? The humans fighting for their very survival wrestle with what methods are acceptable forms of resistance? Is suicide bombing justified and how is that any different from sending a soldier into a battle we know he can’t return from? In a long run, how detrimental is it to dehumanize one’s enemy? Can there be dialogue with the enemy? Does any form of cooperation imply collusion or is some level of acquiescence acceptable in the broader picture? Is it proper to sell out your compatriots to save the one you love? Can two very different species attempt to merge and build trust and even loving relations? I think there may also be some sci-fi adventure stuck in there somewhere.
WOW!
My politics have evolved greatly and my appreciation for the much broader picture has brought me to the world of grays. Black and white is reserved for the fantasies of “If only I could just do x, y, & z…” Reality is much more complicated. Through my difficult marriage and subsequent divorce, I learned to be more cognizant of the fact that there is not only one right answer and that I must account for others equally valid(?) positions.
I watch Battlestar Galactica and it gives me a different angle to more objectively view conflict (and other issues). Yet, it’s just a show. It’s not real. It’s a LIE. But I appreciate the insights I draw from the show. This in itself is a lesson. The story may not be true but the ideas and truths it espouses are very real and very true indeed.