Me, You, and the Kobayashi Maru
Imagine…
You are a Starfleet Captain in the far reaches of interstellar space.
Your Communications Officer informs you that the ship’s just received a distress call from the civilian freight ship Kobayashi Maru.
An explosion, possibly an attack, has damaged the vessel, and now the Kobayashi Maru is stranded with no engines, and its life support will only last a short amount of time.
You bring the U.S.S. Enterprise towards the distress beacon but pause at a startling discovery: This crippled freighter with hundreds of civilians onboard is stuck in the Klingon Neutral Zone.
As a Starfleet spacecraft, the Enterprise would be risking war with the Klingons if it crossed into this forbidden region of space. In fact, the Klingon Empire, longtime rivals of Starfleet, would be justified in a full-on attack, breaking the most tenuous of peace agreements. But as far as you know, the Enterprise is the only ship in the vicinity. If you don’t enter the neutral zone to help the Kobayashi Maru, everyone onboard, every innocent man, woman, and child, will die.
Your move, Captain.
Do you let the innocents die? Or do you risk all-out war?
“I can’t just watch these civilians die.”
The moment you cross into the neutral zone, an entire fleet of armed Klingon warships appear on the horizon, and within minutes, the truth is clear…
There’s no way you’ll survive this event.
End Simulation.
Now, if you’re a Star Trek fan, or if you’re moderately familiar with Star Trek mythos, you may have heard of the Kobayashi Maru. First introduced to viewers in 1982’s The Wrath of Khan, this simulation is the beloved test all potential Starfleet captains must go through.
The goal? To test their character, demeanor, and strategy when faced with a no-win scenario.
Of course, famed Captain Kirk cheated on his test because he doesn’t believe in no-win situations, but even Kirk is brought to his breaking point.
No matter how invincible any captain feels, each one will face situations with no good options.
The test is an exercise in humility and humanity—and it reminds me of a lot of the circumstances we face in everyday life.
Lose-Lose?
Every day—especially in the year 2020—we must face no-win scenarios. Oftentimes, life overwhelms us, and bad news and negative responses hit us from literally every angle.
It can be easy to feel crippled, like a damaged freighter in the Neutral Zone.
It can be even easier to feel like the ship on the edge of the Neutral Zone, crippled with the weight of indecision and uncertainty.
What do you do when every choice feels like the wrong one? How do you handle the fallout of the choices you do make in good conscience only to have an unforeseen negative effect?
Whether in facing conflicting information about a pandemic’s virus or choosing who to vote for in a contentious election where both options feel viscerally immoral for different reasons, we are faced with important, life-altering decisions—decisions that impact other people as well.
What decision can you possibly make while drowning in the noise of the mob’s discordant cacophony?
Are you heartless for not attempting a rescue you’re more than capable of performing? Or are you heartless for bringing your own ship into harm’s way?
Am I heartless for bringing my crew into a fight we might lose, or am I heartless for refusing to fight for those less fortunate?
No, we are not heartless. We don’t have to be crippled with indecision, and we don’t leave our heart and morality behind with whatever decision we make.
After all, the no-win scenario isn’t an automatic failure; it isn’t a trap—it’s a test.
The Application
Sometimes, the point isn’t winning.
In the Kobayashi Maru simulation, Starfleet doesn’t measure how successful the captain’s decisions are; after all, the simulation is designed to always fail. The test measures how a captain responds in such situations, not the results of those decisions.
What does this have to do with life?
We live in a fallen world, broken by the power of sin. Our world is corrupt, and bad, unjust, perilous, and much of it is beyond our control.
I can guarantee you will face a no-win scenario. The question isn’t “How can I win?”—the question is, “How will I handle myself in the process?”
You can’t be Captain Kirk. You can’t reprogram life. No cheating, no escaping. You have to face the situation.
But how?
How do we conduct ourselves in a no-win situation when failure seems imminent at every turn, when every possibility will end in negative consequences?
One — Remind Yourself That Life is Not About You
Think about the people under your command. Think about your peers. Think about the problem. But, most importantly, think about the communal aspect of your decision.
That doesn’t mean you must choose something that everyone’s going to like, and that does not mean you need to go with the flow and bow to societal pressure.
It just means you should view the situation in its full context, and don’t let your unstable, doubtful rumination disconnect you from those around you.
Think about those you care about and those you don’t.
There is a time to “just do you” and to love yourself, but there’s also a time to understand your life in context.
Understand how your decision affects those around you.
Two — Consider Your Options
Weigh the pros and cons of the alternatives you can think of. If the situation is complex or confusing, bring in trusted friends and mentors—preferably a mix of those with different experiences and greater wisdom than you.
Figure out your options and think about what is likely to happen with any decision based on the information you’re given.
Even if something unforeseen complicates the scenario—and it most certainly will—you want to make each decision with a clear conscious.
So consider your options, and do your best!
But, don’t make your decision yet…
Three — Bring God Into the Situation
Now, I know many of you might be rolling your eyes. If you’re not religious, you probably will want to ignore this part. Even if you are Christian and believe in most of the same things I do, you might still hesitate.
How do you bring God into a situation when he’s already omnipresent? If God is everywhere, how do we bring him anywhere?
Good questions. After all, “bringing God into the situation” on the surface sounds like cookie-cutter advice from Christians with little bearing on practical application.
But it is practical.
I believe in God.
I believe in the Jesus of the Bible. I believe in the gospel, where mankind is trapped in sin but because of Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection, when I put my faith in Him and trust in Him as Lord, the Holy Spirit regenerates me and connects me to the Father.
I believe in a God of reconciliation, where the benefit of following Him is not limited to the afterlife, but the core of the restoration He brings means the I am now in a right relationship with Him.
Yes, He created everything on a cosmic scale, but He also love me and you on a personal, individual level.
In other words, I can talk to God, and He talks back.
So, if you’re in a no-win situation, ask God for guidance. Let the Spirit lead you. Listen to His voice.
If you’re not sure what God sounds like, start in the Word. Be rooted in scripture, because in His Word, we get to know His character.
Now, the Bible isn’t a magic book that will give you every answer step by step, but it is God’s book that will bring you closer Him and help you know Him more, which also means you will naturally hear Him more clearly.
So, in your no-win Kobayashi Maru moment, bring God into the situation. Ask Him how He’d like you to proceed. Think about His truth, His desires, and His character.
Even if you make a mistake, if you make an honest attempt to act in step with the heart of God you have nothing to feel guilty or shameful about.
God sees your heart and that’s how He judges.
But the result of trusting God and seeking God isn’t greater fear (though you will have an increased “Fear of God,” which is another topic altogether).
The result is a closer relationship, which is reflected in our actions, which means living a life of love.
Even if we make mistakes, if all of us are genuinely trying to live a life of love, even the no-win situations can end up being not so bad.
And God, the programmer of the universe, can actually reverse any no-win scenario at any time.
Ultimately, He’s the captain. And if He’s running the ship, I’m confident He’ll bring me home.
