Parents, how do you treat weakness, in others? Enjoy the photo. Don’t know what my Mom was thinking dressing me like this, I think it came with a permanent placard on the back with the words “kick me” with a smiley face. I wasn’t a Trekky, however I was a regular watcher of Lost In Space, the cheesy mid-1960’s SciFi TV series. It was set in the year 1997, haha! The evil Dr. Smith was the cowardly villain, who was the reason they were actually “lost in space.” Smith, the unintentional stowaway, who was trapped with the victims whose mission he had intended to destroy, was constantly trying to save his own skin at the expense and danger of the Robinson family, “the first family in space.” The Robinson family always forgave the perpetual antagonist. The son, Will Robinson, actually liked and trusted Smith, though Smith’s actions never proved worthy of anyone’s admiration or trust. Crew members, The Robot and Major Don West, never trusted Smith, but tolerated him in deference to the Robinson's grace toward him. The Robot often warned “Danger Will Robinson,” as he flailed his dryer hose arms with hooked-pincher-hands when Dr. Smith was leading him into hazardous situations. As I see it, we all have a choice, we can exploit the weaknesses of others like Dr. Smith, trying to somehow gain the upper hand, taking advantage of those around us, or we can believe the best about others, being gentle with their weakness, giving them the benefit of the doubt. I prefer a story like the Grinch, in which the good-hearted Whos of Whoville, changed the character of the oft abused and then abusive Grinch. His heart grew three sizes in one day. But Dr. Smith, unlike the Grinch, seemed to never change, always manipulating the situation to his benefit and preying upon the presumed weaknesses of his ship-wrecked colleagues. The good news is he couldn’t change the goodness of the Robinsons either, they always chose to believe Smith was doing the best he could do and chose to give grace.
