Dokkaran: Difference between revisions

Dokkaran (view source)

Revision as of 04:30, 30 May 2013

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Revised flow of thought and Harmony concept.

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 Each Dokkaran is endowed with the experiences/memories of The Lady, which includes the memories of Lieutenant Dell and Ensign Allanzar, and as such, hold a certain affinity for humanity. Dokkarans are also endowed with a smattering of life experiences from other Dokkarans who have linked with The Lady. Some of these experiences all Dokkaran share (Sort of a substitute for childhood) and some only a few share. These unique memories are what usually define a Dokkaran as an individual initially, though they later set out on their own to collect their own experiences. These initial experiences are always kept balanced so that no Dokkaran knows all of his or her race's collective memories. Where one Dokkaran might know how to fix a plasma conduit, another might not, but this Dokkaran might know how to speak Romulan whereas the other does not. These differences in memories are what set Dokkarans apart until they make their own way in the world and help to shape who they are. Dokkarans also seek to gather experiences that might prove interesting to them, creating a complex exchange of memories and ideas across an entire species.
-Dokkarans don't always live in perfect harmony with other species however. Because they are plants and the majority of sentient species in the Universe are animals, there are often heated exchanges between Dokkarans and ignorant humanoids. As Dokkarans are plants themselves, they staunchly disapprove of vegetarianism (Or the eating of any sort of plant other than fruits and/or vegetables)and the humanoid tendency to just pass off plants as simple lifeforms. Where most humanoids might only see one or two ways, Dokkarans often see a third and do not consider the other two. Harmonious and wise they may be in their natural habitat, but amongst other lifeforms, Dokkarans often come across as 'Zen', but very 'superior', often subtly turning their noses down at ignorant humanoids.
+===Harmony===
+Excerpt taken from Doctor Richard Holkar's 'Standing in the Distance: Notes on the Dokkaran People and Their Culture'.
+The Dokkarans embody a philosophy called Harmony, that dictates that all the composite actions of the universe exist to fulfill a purpose, and that neither order, chaos nor a balance between the two prevail or even exist, rather the Universe is dominated by a singular state of existence the Dokkarans call Harmony. Harmony classically embodies five traits…
+Nobility of Action: Dokkarans see it as their duty to be the purveyors of peace and equality wherever they go, only calm and wise actions will bring the best outcome, though one must act in order to affect change. Unlike so many aspirant peacekeepers, the Dokkarans are not above violence (Limited violence though) to affect the change they want to see in the world, though this violence must be backed up by a sure conviction of what is right.
+Mutual Altruism: Besides bringing peace, the Dokkarans also disparage social boundaries and believe that everyone within a society must be giving towards one another. If one member of the group breaks a leg and cannot walk, others are obliged to carry him, however the cripple must in turn carry the weight of another should a similar incident occur. One cannot expect kindness and not give it in return.
+The Beauty of All: Every piece of matter in the universe has a purpose, perhaps not one that is immediately identifiable or fundamentally good, but never the less, everything has a purpose. Supernovas may kill but they also seed the cosmos with new life in the form of carbon. A child’s death, though tragic, is the Final Call of the Goddess, and while they may be gone from this world, they are in a better place and should not be mourned, only fondly remembered for the role they played and not the one they could have.
+Understanding Through Experience: Dokkarans believe that only through encountering and experiencing as much as possible can one understand the Universe around them. Dokkarans are born with a spirit for adventure and many (Nearly all) journey off world at some point in their lives for a period of time to experience the greater galaxy. When they return, they will link with the Lady and transfer these experiences onto the next generation of Dokkarans, therefor enriching not only themselves but those that come after.
+Spiritual Enlightenment: Dokkarans believe in an Unnamed Goddess and that she is the Dokkaran representation of an even greater intelligence. Dokkarans believe that one cannot fundamentally understand this intelligence, but can learn to understand their work (The Universe and it’s inhabitants) through prayer and meditation. Religious zealotry is common among the Dokkarans and while they are non-violent and love the exchange of ideas between faiths (Believing that all religions worship a different form of the same deity) they do not take kindly to non-believers questioning the legitimacy of their faith, though they show a very wise and even measured hand to those who do not believe but seek to understand, embodying the 4th trait of Harmony, Understanding Through Experience.
 ==Religion==
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 A deeply religious people, worship of the Unnamed Goddess is taken very seriously among Dokkarans, something many modern species find a bit peculiar and disturbing. Many would label them fanatics for their universal unquestioning belief in what most would consider nothing more than myth and false memory on the part of The Lady, but Dokkarans strongly believe that they are a part of a divine lineage, the Unnamed Goddess created The Lady and The Lady created the Dokkarans. The Dokkarans also believe that this Goddess has a never ending plan, not just for the themselves but for the Universe. Even Dokkarans admit that their limited perception of a universe encompassing intelligence is lacking and use the 'metaphor' (The Dokkarans would not call the Goddess a metaphor, but rather a simplistic term for an unknowable alien intelligence that drives the Universe and touches all life) of the Unnamed Goddess to personify this intelligence. As such, Dokkarans have a natural respect for the believers of other faiths, seeing the existence of other religions (Monotheistic or otherwise) as further proof of the Goddess' existence. However this religious tolerance does not seem to apply to the practitioners of the Bajoran faith as the Dokkarans see the Prophets as false gods who have lead the Bajorans off the path of the one, true 'goddess'.
-Dokkarans do not have traditional families and do not try to form such groups, rather they see all Dokkarans as one family of distant cousins, the same, but totally unique at the same time. Dokkarans do feel a need to be in groups however, and their highly democratic and communal society helps to fulfill these needs. As there is little point to it, Dokkarans don't marry and rarely cohabitate with their lovers, preferring to engage in elongated courtships that can end at anytime, reveling in the chase.
+Dokkarans do not have traditional families and do not try to form such groups, rather they see all Dokkarans as one family of distant cousins, the same, but totally unique at the same time. Dokkarans do feel a need to be in groups however, and their highly democratic and communal society helps to fulfill these needs. As there is little point to it, Dokkarans don't marry and rarely cohabitate with their lovers, preferring to engage in elongated courtships that can end at anytime, reveling in the chase. Dokkaran relationships are built around this Chase and instead of gender roles, the relationship is divided between who is chasing and who is being chased. The Chased is supposed to make the Chaser work for their favor, while the Chaser is supposed to compete for the love of the person they are pursuing. Physical intimacy is not the end point of the chase (Nor is the distinct form of telepathic intimacy that Dokkarans practice), rather the end of the chase is just that, the end of the relationship and the chase is supposed to last throughout the courtship. As Dokkarans do not marry, nor cohabitate, very few Dokkarans stay together for long periods of time, though some of the great chases of Dokkaran culture have lasted since their Awakening two hundred years ago.
-As stated before, the Dokkaran's most defining quality is their harmonious nature. Where most humanoid cultures only see two options for the rule of the universe, chaos or order, Dokkarans see a third way, Harmony, which they define as the acceptance that neither order nor chaos is either true or inherently false as both ideas are delusions made up by primitive minds to boil down the world around them to a singular simplistic view. Rather Dokkarans believe that the universe exists in a state of harmony, with tranquility being the prevailing element of the world around them. Mortals only perceive order or disorder because they have a limited scope of the universe that limits their viewpoint, boiling down their existence to simple absolutions, one way or the other with the proposed balance between the two being an even greater delusion. To see past what one wants to see or what they have been allowed to see is to break the chains of these simplistic and false ideas of mutually exclusive absolutions and see the harmony that prevails in the universe. Billions might die in a supernova, but billions more will be born as the carbon from that exploding star travels to a newly formed planet, planting the first seeds of a new cycle of life. It is all in the Goddess' plan.
 ====The Elders====
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 *Consumed with the notion of equality, no particular sign of respect is showed to any one Dokkaran over another. The only person who Dokkarans will show any kind of difference to is the High Cleric of Kural Hanesh, though it is towards their position, not towards the person.
 *It is considered distasteful to speak of violence in any context or setting.
+*Because of their utter distaste for showing difference to another beyond simply being polite, all Dokkaran officers in Starfleet usually have multiple discommendations for lack of respect for the chain of command, and not showing proper respect to their superiors. Many Captains in Starfleet consider those few Dokkaran officers a stain on their crew complements and often view such transfers to their vessels as inviting conflict aboard their ships. These incidents regarding proper procedure aboard a Starship are perhaps the most high profile incidents of the Dokkarans 'lack of respect', though this is not malicious, just a societal custom that many Dokkarans cling to. There have also been several incidents where Dokkaran diplomats have refused to show the proper difference towards foreign dignitaries and heads of state.
 ===Death and Burial===
 A careful count is tallied of all those Dokkaran confirmed dead. At present the number stands at 213, a number constantly ingrained in the minds of every Dokkara, as a solemn reminder of those that passed from this life, to heed the Final Call of the Goddess. The current demographics are as follows...
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 If the body is able to be recovered, it is returned to Ceata and planted in the Garden of the Beckoned in Luzen. From the dead corpse of a Dokkaran, a small, flowering tree sprouts from the deceased's body, and the garden is one of the holiest sites in Dokkaran culture. The trees are considered an extension of the life force of the deceased Dokkaran, and many see harmony and beauty in the passing of one of their own, even if it is tragic. When recovery of the body is not possible, a seed from one of the other trees is planted in it's place, and as such there are exactly 215 trees in the Garden (Including those planted in memorial for Lieutenant Dell and Ensign Allanzar).
-====Harmony====
-Excerpt taken from Doctor Richard Holkar's 'Standing in the Distance: Notes on the Dokkaran People and Their Culture'.
-''In the twenty some-odd years I've spent among the Dokkarans they still capture my imagination with the same intensity that they did when I arrived in their homeland decades ago. Like the Vulcans, the Dokkarans have a race-wide philosophy called 'Harmony', though unlike Vulcan Logic, Human Emotion or Romulan Passion, Dokkaran Harmony cannot be readily described by our language. This is ironic considering the Dokkarans adopted a heavily evolved form of Romanian as their own language, though even these translations back to the main dialect and into Standard pale to the beautiful words the Clerics sing of the philosophy that has defined a species so completely, and so organically. They strive for a 'third way' point of view, and reject the often polarized versions of the philosophies of other alien races in favor of one true path, that of Harmony. Harmony could be described as 'serenity', 'zen', or 'ethereal', though these words do not quite do it justice. Harmony is not the balance between two opposing forces, rather it is the one true path that is free of all others, as all other paths are the spawn of delusions concocted by weak minds. Harmony is more like peace in a vacuum, High Cleric Hussan once described this view of Harmony aptly as, 'Humans often see War as the constant and Peace as the interim state between conflicts, Dokkarans see peace as the natural, constant state, and war as the intervening period'. To many, Harmony is more easily described by the traits it embodies, such as nobility, altruism, beauty, adventure, and enlightenment. Many have tried approaching Harmony from this angle, and although the Dokkarans find no fault with their application, they correctly point out that these various alien scholars fail to see the reasoning behind their actions and do not make such choices organically as Dokkarans do.''
-====Music, Art, and Architecture====
+===Music, Art, and Architecture===
 Harmony is also intrinsic to all aspects of Dokkaran expression. Dokkaran architecture is often round, glittering and evokes a certain grandeur in it's shimmering beauty. Dokkaran art mainly consists of two schools, watercolors mixed with pencils, and marble sculpture, both displaying images of grand vistas and the great natural beauty of Ceata. Traditional Dokkaran music is often string heavy, accompanied by a strong choral element and loud drums. More modern and popular Dokkaran music features string like synths, ascending vocals, and catchy choruses. While Dokkaran musicians rarely tour off their homeworld, much of their material has become popular on Earth for both the modern and traditional variety's utter pathos that it brings out in an audience, be it euphoric dance numbers or gripping melancholic opera.