Always Remember When the Doctor was You

Matt Smith, 11th Doctor, Doctor Who Series, BBC
Picture from https://esunanecesidad.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/mattsmith4.jpg

One of the greatest monologues that I have ever heard was that which was spoken by the 11th Doctor on the British TV show "Doctor Who," played by Matt Smith. The quote in question is when the 11th Doctor is about to regenerate into the 12th Doctor (for those who have never seen the show but plan to, consider this a spoiler... sorry). The monologue goes like this:

"We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people all through our lives. And that's okay. You've got to keep moving so long as you remember the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day. I swear. I will always remember when The Doctor was me."

Now obviously this is Matt saying good bye to the show, letting all those on the set and watching the show know that he was very happy to play such an iconic character. It is also the character reflecting on that particular version of his regeneration, and wanting to always remember what he had done as the 11th version, especially since (spoiler) he was known as the Doctor who forgets.

Is that all that is meant to be learned from this monologue? Of course bloody not.

Consider this...

Look back at your life. Take a good moment. Think about the good, the bad, the ugly, the spectacular. Write it down if you need to.

Don't worry, I'll wait...you can even click the video below if you need a little thinking music.

Thank you smashswammy for the video!

OK. Now that you have had a moment to think over your life, take another moment and add labels to explain what kind of person you were at each of those events. For example, when I was a senior in high school, I worked a full time job and went to school at the same time, so I would label that moment in my life "The one who wanted true independence." In another point in my life, when I had no car, no job, and lived in a situation in which I was used me for their own gain, I would label that part of my life "The one who was lost."

No rush... I'm a patient individual. I'll just be over here checking out some other YouTube Videos while you do this, because I really want to give you the time that you need to really analyze your life and see what kind of person you were at each stage. 

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OK.... are you done? Great.

Now, look at each of the labels in your life, and consider each of these as your own incarnations of your own personal version of the Doctor. As you do this, what you should see is how you have changed and adapted to the world, as all life eventually does in their own time. At some points of your life, you are good, making the right decisions and leaving the right effects at the right moments. Other times, you may not be so good, leaving damage in your wake. Regardless of what happened at each point in your life, you have grown and changed. You have not let the events stop you enough to where you stop living (and by stop living, I mean the full stop, end of the line stop). As you read this, you are still adapting, changing, meeting the new challenges that come to you in your life. That is what Matt meant by keeping moving; you continuously find new ways to expand your skills and abilities to become a greater version of you. Even if you don't know or believe it, you are. But that is just not enough to become a better person in your own right. 

In the monologue, Matt said "...so as long as you remember the people that you used to be." In order to become a better version of yourself, you must remember who you once were. I know, not quite as simple as it sounds, since most of your memories begin to dissipate as you get older. However, the feelings that you have around those events and memories do not fade quite as fast, and that is what matters the most. It is those feelings that shape you, and it is those feelings that allow you to learn the lessons that you are supposed to learn in life. Your past contains the secrets to how to survive in your present, and live in your future. Remember, George Santayana was the one that said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

The biggest thing to remember after doing all of this is to remember all that you have accomplished in your life, good and bad. In my life, remember the good that I have accomplished keeps me from crashing into the depths of depression, and staying positive about tomorrow, even if the light of doubt and self-pity is brighter. Your case might be similar, or it might not be, but regardless of how it works out to be, hopefully seeing who you once were will bring a smile back to your life. And I hope that you continue to do this every so often so that you also can remember when the Doctor was you.