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Doctor Who may not be the educational show that it was expected to be when it first went on the air 53 years ago, but we can still learn quite a few lessons if we pay attention.
In theory, Doctor Who was supposed to help teach children about history and science. The Doctor would have his adventures through time and space, introducing different cultures and historical events. Along with his companions, they would bring knowledge to the youth of the United Kingdom, helping to expand their horizons.
While it may no longer be an educational program, one can still learn quite a lot from the show. Through these adventures, the Doctor and his companion can still teach us a great deal with their interactions with others and their actions. Even if the Doctor, depending on his incarnation, can be rather prickly, he can still teach us some important life lessons.
Let us look at these lessons that could be learned from Doctor Who if we pay attention. While it may not be the educational show that it was originally intended to be, we can still learn quite a few life lessons from the adventures of the Doctor and his companions. Let us look at a few of those lessons that can be learned from the show.
Next: Everyone has value
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Everyone has value
Remember back during A Christmas Carol when the Eleventh Doctor asked Kazran Sardick who the frozen Abigail Pettigrew was and he said that she was no one important? The Doctor, in his own imitable style, remarked that he had never met anyone who was not important in his 900 years travelling through space and time.
Even before that Christmas episode, the same statement could have been said about Donna Noble. She had gone through life wandering from job to job, trying to find her place and to make a difference. She did just that, saving the universe as DoctorDonna. Even if her memory of those events had to be wiped out, she still became one of the most important people in time and space, with her praises sung across the galaxy.
This just proves that, no matter who you are, you have value. Someone out there is counting on you to be there for them. No matter how you may feel now, those moments will pass, leaving you a much better person.
Everyone is important and everyone has value. Even if you do not believe in yourself, someone out there does. Just give it time, and that value will come through.
Next: Don't judge a book by its cover
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Appearances can be deceiving
There are a few universal truths on Doctor Who. Daleks are evil and want to exterminate everyone. The Cybermen want to turn everyone else into one of them, and will not listen to anything else. Sontarans just want to take over the entire universe and wage perpetual war.
But that is not always the case. Rusty the Dalek went back to try to sow discord amongst the Daleks, potentially leading to their destruction. The Cybermen created by Missy from the dead retained their memories and emotions, keeping them from being the emotionless killers that they are expected to be.
While it is important to be wary, it is also important to judge someone on their actions. If a being is kind and helpful, then that is how they should be treated, instead of being judged based on the actions of others of the same kind. Not everyone is the same, and they should be treated based on who they are.
Just because the Doctor runs into one type of being does not mean that each member of that species will be the same. Sometimes, there are just a few bad apples that can cause people to stereotype others.
Next: Inclusion and unity
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Inclusion and unity
Over its history, Doctor Who has been a very progressive show. Women have been shown in roles of power, and different relationships have been shown without a second thought.
Perhaps the most important display comes from Madame Vastra and Jenny. Vastra, a flesh eating Silurian married her “maid,” Jenny, in the middle of Victorian England. Their lesbian relationship, or lizbian, in a nod to the lizardwoman that Vastra happens to be, is just considered to be normal to the Doctor and his companions, and accepted for what it is.
It is also an ongoing theme in the show that unity is important. We often see groups splintered into separate factions, motivated by their own quest for power and personal gain. Once they realize that their greed is holding them back and keeping them from being able to put the Doctor’s plan in place, or to even save themselves, they begin working together, showing that unity is far more important than putting the desires of one ahead of everything else.
Of all the things that Doctor Who could teach us, the idea that it is vital to stand together as one, regardless of race, creed, politics or sexual orientation may be the most important.
Next: Take the time and listen
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Listen
Sometimes, the easiest things to do are the most difficult. That includes taking the time to listen to someone when they are trying to say something.
Based off the idea that everyone is important, it would also make sense that what they have to say is important as well. While we all have our ideas of what is important, or can have preconceived notions about what is going to be said and whether or not it will matter, taking those few seconds can make a major difference in someone’s life.
Just take a look at Maebh Arden. She was considered to be difficult, forced to take medication that kept her from hearing voices as she said that she could talk to the trees. As it turns out, when the Doctor listened to what she had to say, she helped to save the planet as the trees that sprouted up were there to protect the Earth from a severe solar flare.
Taking the time to listen to someone can have a major impact upon their lives, especially if the person is a small child. They may seem to talk about things that are inconsequential, but everything out there is new and exciting to them. In talking to those people, and in listening to what they have to say, not only can they keep their sense of wonder, but we could even learn something along the way.
Next: The proper way to fight
Violence is not the answer
Considering the deadly threat that the Daleks, Cybermen, and other assorted enemies of the Doctor pose, it would seem as though the Doctor’s non-violent ways would be problematic. Instead, they happen to be the exact opposite.
In using his wits and sonic screwdriver, the Doctor uses violence only as a last resort. He may well threaten to unleash the wrath of the Time Lords upon whatever he is facing, but more often than not, those are empty threats. In fact, just the idea that he could commit violent acts had been enough for him to shun his time as the War Doctor, as he could not stand the thought of all those deaths occurring at his hands.
That non-violent behavior is also reinforced by his proclivity to run away. Rather than to engage in combat with these enemies, he runs, saving as many people as he can before finding a way to defeat those foes. Victory is not worth the cost of even one life, at least if the Doctor can help it.
Next: Doctor Who may be moved to different schedule
Doctor Who can teach us a lot about life, and about how we should treat one another, if only we pay attention. It seems that, after all these years, it is still an educational show after all.