Geek Wisdom of the Week: “Snakes… Why did it have to be snakes?”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClwIj3x24Q4

By Victor “Fiefo!” de la Cruz

Not all words of wisdom have to come from history. Our favorite entertainment mediums, such as movies, television shows, cartoons and even video games are filled with nuggets of knowledge that can inspire us and teach us a thing or two about life.

This week’s piece of Geek Wisdom comes from one of the most famous treasure hunters, Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. also known as Indiana Jones.

The Quote: “Snakes… Why did it have to be snakes?”

The story behind the quote: While you may think about archeology as something that is extremely boring, Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, may change your mind. In each of the four films he’s been in, the good doctor has to go on different adventures, using his knowledge of history, mythology and legends to find mysterious artifacts that have been lost in time. Not only is Indy smart as a whip, he also uses his trusty bullwhip (see what I did there?), which he carries with him all the time, to defeat Nazis and other people who would want to use these ancient items for their own selfish reasons.

The quote comes from the first film of the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indy and his friend, Sallah, infiltrate a Nazi dig site that should reveal the location of the Ark of the Covenant. Unfortunately, the room that will show this information is filled with snakes. While Indiana Jones may be able to face certain death and take it head on, snakes are the only thing he actually fears. Even so, Indy ventures into the room so that he can get the information that he needs.

The Geek Wisdom we can take from it: It’s okay to be afraid of something. Even a man like Indiana Jones, who appears to not be afraid of anything, is afraid of something. It’s when you come face to face with your fear that counts. Indiana Jones knew that he would have to go into a room filled with the thing that he was deathly frightened of. Yet, he managed to overcome his fear during that moment since he knew that he had to do it so that he could beat the Nazis to the Ark.

There will be times when you will be confronted with something you would rather avoid and there will come a time when avoiding it will not be the correct solution. Take on your fear head on; you may see that it may actually be nothing to be afraid of.