By restraining the courage and passion that prompted Picard to make his formative “mistake,” Jean-Luc stifled the very qualities which ultimately formed him into the eventual captain of the mighty ENTERPRISE. The Jean-Luc Picard that was “careful,” “thoughtful.” and “not foolish” evolved into one of the countless faceless minions who accomplish nothing in life--because they always play it safe, never taking any chances. One of those individuals who never realized that rarely does one reap great rewards if one does not take commensurately great chances.

This mere TV show had a very strong effect on me. I, like almost everyone else, can look back at certain junctures in my life with a tinge of regret...think of things that, if I had the prerogative, I would change about myself. For instance, I often experienced some degree of regret that my higher education was interrupted by certain events--joining the military, having to take certain jobs instead of going to college--but in retrospect, perhaps it was in addressing those unavoidable contingencies that have shaped me, and made me the person I am today.

Makes you think, doesn’t it? How do any of us know--for sure--the experiences that have shaped us to be the individuals we are today? Life’s successes are great, to be sure; the flush of victory is indeed a heady feeling, whether earned on the battleground of a tennis tournament, or in the quiet contest of an academic report or exam. But if I recall correctly, the time in my life when I really improved my tennis game was when I was getting my butt kicked on a daily basis by a fellow team member.

I was motivated by my losses--my failures--and forced myself to push harder. Likewise, whenever I was in a situation where all my tennis opponents were pushovers and I always won our matches, my game deteriorated--the warm and cuddly feeling of success doesn’t prod near as much as the gnawing letdown and sting of defeat. In fact, I think that if most of us objectively assess the crucial junctures that have shaped us as persons, it is by those moments of failure that we are most severely defined.

There are few more pathetic figures than high school football players fortunate enough to be on teams that rarely experience defeat. Sooner or later, usually in their first year in college ball, they get their clocks cleaned by another team--or heaven forbid, have a losing season. After being spoiled by years of stellar performance, they have a major life crisis when adversity finally comes along.

Same with the whiz kids who thump all academic competitors while in elementary or secondary school. Then they go off to Harvard or MIT, where everyone scores 1490 on his/her SAT exams. Suddenly, they’re just another genius in a sea of brilliance. The look on the face of a whiz kid who gets his first “C” is a priceless relic for any videocam junkie. I’ve seen more than my share of such “shattering experiences” compel these exceptional students to either transfer to a lesser school to regain their old luster--or else drop out completely, as their veneer of invincibility has been torn asunder. Pathetic.

So much for my metaphysical ramblings. I could go on about how the debut episode of Deep Space Nine had a similar message (when the wormhole critters kept telling Sisko that his whole existence was frozen at the moment in time when he lost his wife--and he never really returned to the world of the living), but you’re already probably sick of this article, so there.

[this is the addition to the original article made when it ran in the MensOkie in late 1993]: P.S. --Being a tennis nut, I gasped in agony at the “choke of the century” in the Wimbledon women’s final a few weeks ago, when Jana Novotna was one point from a 5-1 final set lead against Steffi Graf--and then blew the match. Looking over this article conjured up an obvious parallel to that event. Wonder if that talented player will grow from that shattering experience--or have her career devastated by replaying that agonizing moment over and over whenever the pressure mounts?

The infamous moment when Novotna cried on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent, after choking away the 1993 Wimbledon final, 7-6,1-6,6-4 to Steffi Graf. For that matter, will the Houston Oilers ever be the same after blowing a 35-3 lead to the Buffalo Bills in this year’s  [January, 1993]  NFL playoffs?? Maybe “Q” intended some grand purpose to such events--HAR!

And, the final addendum (presumably!), July 7, 1998 Almost five years later, updating my original article: 1)  The Houston Oilers football team went down the tubes and never came out of it.....and are now the Memphis or Tennessee Oilers, depending on whether the city or state is unfortunate enough to get associated with the woeful team.  On the bright side, the Houston Rockets were courteous enough to keep the NBA Championship Trophy warm for the Chicago Bulls during Michael Jordan's ill-fated baseball sojourn. 2)  Jana Novotna, fortunately, did not totally collapse under the psychological devastation of the 1993 Wimbledon final.  True, she had some more unbelievable chokes (like being up 5-0, 40-love on Chanda Rubin at the French Open....then blowing the match!), but kept plugging away--even reaching the Wimbledon final in 1997, though succumbing to injuries and the world #1, Martina Hingis. But.....then came 1998.   Playing uninjured for once, Novotna ran through the Wimbledon draw, defeating the media darling and great talent Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, and upending the defending champion and world #1, Martina Hingis in the semifinals. Although the final was tailor-made for a combo choke/upset (with a skilled grass-court veteran, Nathalie Tauziat, as her opponent) Novotna held together with a straight-set victory, and (as the Duchess would say), "Third Time Lucky" came true. So sometimes....there IS a happy ending!!

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