This Week @ Monday Creek: Live long and prosper

 

Live long and prosper

    A re-run of Star Trek was on TV late last night. Mr. Spock doing his thing - "Live long and prosper." I always wondered what the Vulcan salute symbolized. For some reason, my husband is unable to make the gesture; his fingers don't have the dexterity needed to form the "V" with his middle and ring finger. When I signal him, he can't signal back...one more thing that I can do that he can't (ha). 

    Curious, I researched to find the origin of this gesture (because I couldn't sleep and was intrigued). Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) created the Vulcan salute for his Star Trek character. Drawing from his Jewish heritage, Nimoy adapted the Aaronic blessing from synagogue—a hand formation representing the Hebrew letter “Shin,” associated with the divine name “Shaddai.” In transposing this sacred symbol to Star Trek, Nimoy performed a kind of cultural translation, one that resonates with literary audiences.

    The salute, then, is not merely a sci-fi gesture. It is a ritual act, a sign of reverence, featuring the ways in which literature often borrows from liturgy to lend weight to imagined worlds.

    Spock himself is a likeable character—half-human, half-Vulcan, caught between logic and emotion, duty and desire. His salute becomes a visual synecdoche for this duality. It is emotionally neutral, yet it carries the warmth of a wish: “Live long and prosper.” In literary terms, Spock functions as a liminal figure, and his gesture is a ritual that marks the crossing between worlds. It is a symbol of peaceful coexistence. It is also a reminder that gestures—like words—can be world-building tools: a single hand shape that conveys an entire philosophy.

    I like Spock's iconic gesture, it feels whimsical and sci-fi. But, at the same time, it's offering a real blessing. It teaches us that even in imagined worlds, ritual matters. A hand raised in peace can speak volumes.

    Live long and prosper.

    Biblical reference: Numbers 6: 24-26

    "I am frequently appalled by the low regard you Earthmen have for life."

  ~ Mr. S’Chn T’Gai Spock, Chief Science Officer, USS Enterprise