A moment of seriousness

Some books came in today. Mostly stuff for the next semester, but I also managed to sneak in a copy of Just a Geek by the man himself, Wil Wheaton. I feel something compelling me to talk about this book, but I'm not sure of what to say. It touched a sore spot in me. Not like a brutal thorn from what looked like a safe rose bush, but more like the sting of soap and warm water in a nasty cut. You know it's a good thing, it would just be nice if it didn't hurt so much at first.

The book is basically an anthology of the last three years of Wil's life on the internet. The content is comprised of his blog entries during that time mixed with his current thoughts on the events he details and some very personal reflections on what he was really feeling at the time. His constant need to come to terms with life after Star Trek and the importance of being a good husband and father (which I think in the end is what makes a man a good man, rather than the riches he accumulates or the status he acquires). I am absolutely amazed at how openly Wil presents his demons. It takes a lot to watch securities in life fall apart, and it takes even more to bear the scars it leaves to thousands of people that, in his situation, you could very possibly end up talking to some day.

What got me in the end (aside from the tear-jerking reflections on life) was his struggle to accept who he is and to be okay with that person. Most of us will never be on TV, but that's not the part that's worth relating to. It's the part about accepting being Just a Geek (TM). Part of his acceptance was to put behind him the nay-sayers and to not let Star Trek, and all it encompases, rule his life. I've been dealing with something similar to that myself. Trying to not let a bad experience and broken trust be the end of everything I have going. He nicely put his coming to terms with Star Trek as having his security bubble broken and having to deal with being outside of its safety. Some people will attest that I'm having to do the same. I'll tell you folks... it's not easy. I found a slice of peace on my trip to our cabin, which has helped me a great deal. I've accepted that right now I need to find a way to be okay with me... and not worry about finding someone to fix my security bubble. When it's time for it to be fixed, it will be. Maybe it's just a way to not deal with things, but it seems to feel a little better.

The other thing that got me, before I forget, was Wil's attention to his step-children. As the only child of a single mother who's been without a lot of male influence and been put in the middle of a broken family I want no part of... I know how important it is to have a father. I get upset when I hear about kids having sex and getting pregnant and the guy takes off, not caring for his child. I get upset when I hear about high divorce rates and people treating marriage and child-bearing like some kind of game. I get really upset, so it's nice to see that someone out there who hasn't had those experiences understands how important it really is.

I'm going to give this book a 10/10. It's one for everyone to read, geek or not (though without the geek part, some parts of it and some inside jokes probably won't make sense). The stories in it are the kind of stories that most people can relate to because we all have to grow up at some point. We all have to make the decision between family and career. We all have to take our masks off at the end of the day and assess whether what we're doing with our lives is really what we want to be doing, and decide how hard we wish to work for the things we really want. We all have to come to terms with who we are, the things we've done and will do, and accept that being okay with that is the first step to enlightenment. It's one man's story, but it may as well be all of ours.