In a universe that seems to have gone mad, we turn to mindfulness to restore sanity. And who better to teach us wisdom than Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, that beacon of calm, rational thought? Or for that matter, Mr. Spock, as channeled by that marvellous comics creator and author, Glenn Dakin?
Released earlier this week, Mr Spock’s Little Book of Mindfulness: How to Survive in an Illogical World is a 112-page hardback book by comic creator and animation writer Glenn Dakin, published by Eaglemoss Hero Collector, is a light-hearted exploration of the wisdom of Mr. Spock – and is not, as you might have guessed, intended as a serious guide to mindfulness.
Unless you are half-Vulcan already, it will not enable you to overcome your emotional side, any more than it will teach you how to perform the Vulcan nerve pinch or mind-meld with a rock creature.
With quotes from Star Trek and timely insights about modern life this book will be your guide. When humanity has lost its way, it takes a Vulcan to raise an eyebrow at our folly and lead us towards the truth. After all, it’s only logical …
“It’s great inside though, honest!,” Glenn assured us. “Lots of my cartoons and philosophic ramblings…”
Philosophical ramblings for example, such as the observation that we should perhaps learn – or relearn – how to to concentrate on one thing at a time?
“Ever since some bright spark at IBM computers invented the word “multitasking” in the sixties (AND IT WAS FOR MACHINES) we have become almost ashamed of doing one thing at time,” Glenn notes. “Not any more. Free yourself from the need to learn Ferengi while driving the kids to school – Vulcan mindfulness can lead you to the beautiful simplicity of… unitasking.
“Mr. Spock knows the clarity of focused thinking. When a planet-killing Doomsday machine is about to swallow your starship, it’s important not to start checking your mail or stopping to share a cool picture of your impending destruction on WhatsApp. This might sound obvious, but we humans are very similarly distracted when in our own daily ‘doomsday scenarios,’ like messaging the boss or changing lanes on the highway while updating our playlist.”
It’s this kind of thing that might help you get through anything inept or deluded politicians may throw at us over the coming months, because it looks like they have plenty of stuff to throw at us, judging by the state we’re in. Mr Spock may not have all the answers of course, or Glenn. But this book should at least provide ample distraction (or advice, depending how seriously you plan to take it!) from the craziness gathering around us.
The perfect holiday gift for the Star Trek fan in your life, Mr Spock’s Little Book of Mindfulness includes essays on focus, computers, social media, love, family, self-acceptance and more.
Filled with actual quotes from Mr. Spock and Star Trek characters, along with cartoons from Glenn, there’s even a source listing for all the quotes from TV episodes.
Glenn Dakin is a cartoonist and writer who should need no introduction to downthetubes readers, but we’ll tell you about him anyway. He’s the author of the Candle Man book series, and has written several wonderful strips, including “Temptation”, the autobiographical strip, “Abe”, “The Rockpool Files” (with Phil Elliott), featuring The Man from Cancer, and “Robot Crusoe” for the Sunday Times.
Very much part of the British small press comics scene back in the 1980s, he wrote strips for a number of Marvel UK titles including The Real Ghostbusters, and contributed to a number of other British comics, including Escape and Deadline.
In recent years, he’s been busy writing scripts for children’s TV shows, including Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and Shaun the Sheep, and is also the author of books such as Be More Batman and Beyond Finity, the latter with Phil Elliott.
• Buy Mr Spock’s Little Book of Mindfulness from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• More books by Glenn Dakin, including Be More Batman, on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Glenn’s Abe strips were collected by Top Shelf Productions in 2001 under the title Abe: Wrong For All The Right Reasons. Temptation was reissued by Active Images in 2004: and The Rockpool Files
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Books, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Star Trek, Television
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