IT is no secret to my friends and most of my readers that I am a dyed-in-the-wool, unapologetic, hardcore, rabid Star Trek fan.
Fifty years ago, when I was a young boy, my sister Viji, our late mother, and I would watch — on our black-and-white television — episodes of what has now come to be referred to as Star Trek TOS — to distinguish it from the subsequent first wave of spin-offs that began in 1987 with Star Trek TNG, and which continued in measured succession with Star Trek DS9, Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek Enterprise.
Just in case the abbreviations are confusing, they stand, respectively, for The Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space 9. Another wave of newer spin-offs is underway, but I'll spare you those specifics.
Star Trek is the brainchild of the late policeman-turned-screenwriter Gene Roddenberry, and is perhaps the second-most successful science fiction franchise after George Lucas's Star Wars.
However, since purists often refer to Star Wars as sitting squarely within the fantasy genre — because of "The Force" (may it always be with you!) — that technically makes Star Trek the No. 1 hard science fiction franchise of all time.
I love the stories set in both fictional universes. However, to a large extent, my field of study for my degree (physics and computing; BSc (Honours) — King's College, University of London) — which I embarked upon almost four decades ago in 1984, was influenced by the fertile seeds of wonder, curiosity and fascination that Roddenberry planted deep in my psyche during those riveting Star Trek family viewing sessions in the early 70s in our rented home in Rahang, Seremban.
Just hearing the soaring music and stirring opening phrases of a Star Trek episode are enough to "transport" me (to the initiated: yes, pun intended) back to memories of simpler times in my childhood and young adulthood, when the promise of our collective future seemed incandescent compared with the dark ecological realities and grim geopolitical nightmares we contend with now in most online, print, radio and TV news broadcasts.
To give you a sense of how inspiring those TV intros were, watch this brief clip of the final May 2005 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, featuring the voices of (famous fictional) starship captains in reverse chronology, namely Jean-Luc Picard (TNG), James Tiberius Kirk (TOS) and Jonathan Archer (ST:E) at https://youtu.be/pXotJu1CapU?si=a66U_99pQrxzYxSK.
ONE LIFE
It's been said many times in many ways by people far wiser than I that the stories we tell ourselves reflect who we are and what we hope to become. Consider what American lawyer-turned-bestselling-novelist Scott Turow wrote in his book Ordinary Heroes:
"Who are we but the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, and believe?"
Those words by Turow in his fiction contain a profound truth that all people, and I do mean ALL of us — readers and non-readers, Trekkies or Trekkers, and even non-Star Trek fans — should take to heart.
That truth is: We have one life to live. That's all.
So, we should do all we can to live it to the full, both wide and deep; to have fun; to make a positive difference to others; to travel far and wide; to learn eclectically; to love extensively; to research intensively; to give wisely and generously; and, ultimately, to leave Earth and humanity better than it and we were before we stumbled onto this narrow sliver of space-time through our birth.
Human existence on Earth has a crucial economic element to it. So, to make the most of our personal and personalised voyage from womb to tomb, we should try to attain financial freedom through responsible earning, spending, saving, investing and giving.
FINANCIAL FREEDOM
This is true even though money is not the most important thing in life. In case you're wondering, in my opinion, what is of greatest importance is this integrated dyad: Loving those you choose to care for, and being loved by them.
Having said that, money plays a ubiquitous role — usually big, occasionally small — in all important elements of life. So, to fund (and to have fun during) the varied segments of our personal voyage of life, it makes sense to take financial planning seriously as early as possible.
Here's my favourite definition of it: "Financial planning is the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances."
To attain any goal we set for ourselves, we must pay its price. For an elaboration of that inviolate rule of life, read last week's Money Thoughts column here: www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2023/11/982806/money-thoughts-pay-...
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
Also, always bear in mind the three dovetailing dimensions of holistic financial planning: wealth protection, wealth accumulation, and wealth distribution. I recommend working with appropriate professionals to optimise your financial trek.
Also, at their core, the goals we set ourselves are baked into the stories we tell ourselves and that, as Turow pointed out, we choose to believe.
So, as you set your goals and sequentially attain them on your own voyage, may the ride be fun-filled and — as Vulcans, most notably the Vulcan-human hybrid Mr Spock, often say in Star Trek episodes and movies: "Live long and prosper".
© 2023 Rajen Devadason
Rajen Devadason, CFP, is a securities commission-licensed Financial Planner, professional speaker and author. Read his free articles at www.FreeCoolArticles.com; he may be connected with on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/rajendevadason, or via [email protected]. You may also follow him on X @Rajen Devadason and on YouTube (Rajen Devadason).
