Live Long and Prosper

"Live long, and prosper". So said Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame. These words come to mind today as an almost perfect Thanksgiving blessing; a day we here in the USA celebrate tomorrow. Often our thoughts tend to wander far afield when we think of what we are grateful for, and we soon realize, if we give it careful thought, that our real blessings are in fact endless. And as our thoughts inevitably tend toward the future we find our hopes for this future gathered together in this single utterance. "Live, Long, and Prosper". It's the definitive prayer. Really. If you are not convinced, take this simple test: think of any problem or concern you have. Now imagine an outcome that could not be improved by the realization of this one statement. You simply cannot do it. Long life and success. That pretty much covers it. And you really want both, don't you? I mean, Mozart had great success, but his death at 36 kind one makes one wonder "what if"? Likewise, the war criminal and dictator/terrorist Augusto Pinochot lived to be 91. He did not prosper on any scale I choose to employ.

So.... that's my Thanksgiving Day wish for you. "Live long and prosper"!

(a curious note: a few years back I saw Leonard Nimoy, the actor who plays Mr. Spock, give a talk in which he discussed the famous hand signal that went with the phrase "Live, Long, and Prosper". He said while filming the original series he was asked to come up with something that would make his character appear "otherworldly". He then recalled going to synagogue as a young child. There is a part in the service where those in the congregation of a certain age and initiation level are supposed to avert their eyes, as what is taking place to "too holy to behold". Well, being a normal curious young lad, Leonard one day could not resist peeking. What he saw was the Rabbi holding up his hand in what popular culture now knows as the "Vulcan salute". This symbol in it's Jewish origin stands for "Shekinah" or the "Divine feminine". So there you have it. As Mr. Spock would say "Fascinating".)