I love Doctor Who for many reasons. Some of them silly, some of them less so.
Overall it's a show that deeply encourages and values empathy and the pursuit of knowledge over violence, over making assumptions of others, over asserting power or pursuing it altogether.
I met a particularly unsavory person irl via work recently and something about her stories...the way she scapegoats strangers so intuitively to break the silence. Her value set appears completely devoid of the good I mentioned above. While her character overall may still hold some decency that time would reveal, I've lived long enough to understand the value of the stories we tell to others and how that reflects on us in turn.
I am so relieved to have something like Doctor Who in my life because I've met so many people over the years who would instill a lasting edge of cynicism in me if they were all I knew.
"There's no point being grown up if you can't act childish sometimes."
Watching this show in all it's eras feels like being home; feels warm and inclusive. It's not a home I had but it's a home I have. Additionally so, it's like the audience, cast, and crew are telling a joke together and it's meant to make us all laugh (keyword ALL). The warmth I feel often comes from knowing most of my laughter watching this show has never been at the expense of someone else.
I've heard it plenty of times...if someone has to insult or belittle others it's a sign they feel small and seek to lash out. That's all well and good if you're on a cloud above but if you live in a world where others routinely use this method, albeit often as a form of social bonding, the wariness sets in and the weight of a deep sadness can intensify; calcify given enough time.
Doctor Who alleviates that sadness for me.
Its like a long essay written in favor of humanity. I'm reading it over and over again finding bits and bobs to take back with me before I return to the everyday; to that world full of small people desperate to feel big.
To those of us that relate to this show, I hope you know know how amazing I believe you are. 🥰 I hope these words can resonate with you because I think this show highlights a quiet wisdom we've earned one way or another in our lives.
We share in that wisdom not because we want to feel superior but because we want to believe in the good in people. I myself can not confidently inform you of any inherent good or selfish drive (and I studied philosophy for pity's sake) but I can say when we have a shared space as vast as Doccy Who to entertain us and provide us with endless horizons of exploration, we begin to share in a common mind. We bond with each other in ways that last. We grasp at the opportunity of building a legacy worth standing.
Just make it a good one, eh?
