Resistance is Futility

Did you know I've wanted to write a blog ever since I first heard about them? But I never knew how. Turns out all you need to do is actually sit down and write. Strange, isn't it?

In the book The War of Art, the first whole section is all about resistance. "The more you resist something, the more you love it," writes Steven Pressfield. Interesting, says I.

Did you know I also love Star Trek? Yep. In the Star Trek universe - well, the one before the most recent movie - there are some baddies called the Borg: A humanoid species that assimilates other humanoid species into their collective. All identity is lost. "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

Humanity, of course, figures out how to throw off the yolk of Borg assimilation, but I'm not sure how, exactly. In Pressfield's book, he talks of using resistance as a signpost to what you should be doing in life. What your calling is. The more resistance there is, the louder the call. The thing you resist the most is, by virtue of his argument, the thing you should most be doing.

So when the Borg assimilate our good Captain in Star Trek, what allows him to escape? Is it the fact that resistance is so a part of our lives as human beings that we/he are masters at resistance and can thus resist the Borg? Or is it that humans are so adept at resistance because our actual passions are so enormous that even assimilation can't break them (our passions) down? Personally, I like the second choice, but I'm not that sure they are all that different.

What I'm getting from this is that contrary to the Borg mission statement of "Resistance is Futile", I see it more as "Resistance is Futility". No matter how hard you resist, your passion is there. As Pressfield says, "We each have our genius." According to etymological research, genius means "guardian deity or spirit which watches over each person from birth; spirit, incarnation, wit, talent."

So if resistance is the antithesis of passion, then resistance is futility. It's so easy to give up and buy a gadget. Way easier than sitting down in that chair and creating something you love. My point, you ask? I'm not sure. But when I say, "There's something in your life that you are resisting right now!" I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about. I know I do.