Teal'c Speaks: On Rest and Relaxation
by Am-Chau Yarkona (amchau@popullus.net)
The
Jaffa need rest as much as any other race: without time to Kelno'reem, we would
be unable to fight. But Kelno'reem is all we require, or all we have been taught
to expect. Children may play games, but they are mimics of adult behaviour and
dropped as soon as one comes of age.
The
Tau'ri, though, do not Kelno'reem; and neither do they spend their leisure time
in healing sleep, even if that would make them better warriors. Instead, they
choose to intersperse their sleeping with pursuits more like play than practice.
Fishing,
for example. Fishing as a means of obtaining food is common among the Jaffa, but
I never regarded it as a sport before I met O'Neill. He catches little, but
appears the happier for having spent time waiting for fish to nibble his baited
hook. I have tried it, and do not see the attraction.
There
are also the academic pursuits: Daniel Jackson chooses to spend time reading
journals and translating ancient languages. As this is often his work, I do not
know why he continues in his "down time". Similarly, Major Carter
involves herself in scientific work when she could be sleeping or meditating.
Those,
however, are not the most puzzling of all. The viewing of "television"
and "movies" is utterly outside the Jaffa scope: the closest we come,
I think, is the telling of stories, but these are always intended to teach as
much as to entertain. I see how 'Star Wars' may teach a warrior much—to
be bold, to trust his instincts, to take risks and fight on even when
injured—but I do not see a teaching purpose in 'Jerry Springer', nor
can the Tau'ri I have met explain it to me.
I
have much to learn. Perhaps 'The Sharon Osborne Show' will be more easily
deciphered?