The Klingon Way
In the world of Star Trek, Klingons are known as a warrior people, formidable in battle, fierce in their passions, and concerned with honor above all. But the life of a Klingon has lessons for humans, even for that sedentary class known as bloggers. Here are three proverbs that can help you learn to blog the Klingon way.
Act and you shall have dinner. Think and you shall be dinner.
Because so much of Klingon life is centered around battle and the hunt, the ability to act quickly and decisively is highly prized. When your opponent is swinging a bat’leth at you, there isn’t any time to contemplate the best course of action. You need to act instinctively to avoid a painful death.
In blogging too, taking action can be much more important than thinking things through. One of my most popular posts was just written up quickly and when I did allow myself to think about whether I should publish it, I hesitated wondering whether my readers would like it or not. Fortunately I decided to act instead of overthinking it.
Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man.
This proverb also emphasizes speed, but even more importantly, it warns against underestimating someone’s abilities, whether that is you or someone else. If a warrior can cut a single person’s throat, then the only obstacle to cutting four thousand is how quickly he can repeat this act. The warrior who can not only cut throats, but do it quickly, is the warrior capable of achieving greatness.
In blogging as well, the limiting factor for most blogs is how quickly and strongly they pursue their goals. Often they underestimate themselves, thinking that they can only do so much in a given period of time. That’s true enough, but if you perfect your technique by eliminating distractions and systematically pursuing your goals, gaining a few thousand subscribers might not be so impossible after all.
Mere life is not a victory, mere death is not a defeat.
To a Klingon, it isn’t enough to merely live. One must also live well. This means fighting great battles, going on great hunts, serving the Empire well, and finally dying a glorious death knowing that you have passionately pursued the things you want most.
Then too, it isn’t enough to merely blog. One must also blog well. This means writing great articles, posting great comments, supporting your blogger friends, and when the time is right, retiring your blog honorably knowing that you pursued blogging passionately.
The Vulcan Way
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few
When considering two courses of action, Vulcans are trained to choose the one which will achieve the greatest good to the greatest number. A common example of this in blogging is the choice between offering full feeds or partial feeds. While some prefer partial feeds, most polls show that full feeds are preferred by a substantial majority. In this case, the Vulcan thing to do is offer full feeds unless there is a compelling reason not to.
Infinite diversity in infinite combinations
Though Vulcans are extremely dedicated to their logical philosophy, that same philosophy teaches them to value diversity. This is one reason that Vulcans continue to work with humans despite their “emotional excesses.”
Valuing diversity of opinion and background is a crucial part of fostering conversation and interactions on a blog. Who wants to participate in a conversation which consists entirely of self-congratulatory back patting?
Live long and prosper
This precept is also a traditional greeting and farewell. It is a wish for the well being and happiness of the recipient.
I think that many times bloggers can get so caught up in focusing on their blog and their comments that they fail to wish for and contribute to the good of others. A little bit more of this Vulcan philosophy couldn’t hurt, and it might just help!
May you too live long and prosper.
Qapla’!*
* Success!
Mark, a digital entrepreneur from NYC. He excels in business acquisition, content optimization, and growth strategies. Mark started his career by buying, growing, and selling businesses he bought from Flippa. He’s an SEO enthusiast and enjoys sharing his insights with the DBT community. With his expertise, creativity, and commitment, Mark continues to shape the digital landscape while staying ahead of the game with the latest trends and techniques.
When he’s not immersed in his entrepreneurial pursuits, Mark enjoys the simple pleasures in life. A perfect evening for him consists of pizza, wine, slow jazz, and working on his projects.
