S1E6 "Contaminated"

    What an assortment of thoughts and emotions in this episode - sympathy, empathy, mercy, hate, fear, love, obsession, conceit, disgust...! As a girl who routinely takes the Doctor's "side," I cannot help but despise the Dalek initially. After all, through the years I've seen the desolation that its kind are capable of and the pain they've caused the Doctor over the loss of his people. However, there are moments that give me pause to consider the worth of a Dalek - really, the worth of any life. Is it worthless because it's a Dalek and incapable of feeling and only of destruction. Or is it of worth - of more worth than 200 human lives - because it's the only one in the universe? Is it worth showing kindness to? Is it worth risking your life for? Is it worth giving a second chance?

The Dalek

     According to Rose, yes: yes, it is worth giving a second chance. Change is possible - if only briefly.
However, how many of us would have chosen the Doctor's response to kill it? Or would we have chosen Jesus's response to "love our enemies", to be "kind to the ungrateful and the evil"? Rose chose the higher moral ground in this episode (as she almost always does!) and lived out Proverbs 21:21, "whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honour." If not for her kindness and mercy she would have died. Yet, the Dalek died having met one human who was not afraid: not afraid to show kindness, to show sympathy, to set aside personal well being for the sake of another. That's our Rose! :) And that ought to be us! Indeed Jesus commanded it and Paul restates it: "repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all"(Romans 12:17). It may seem impossible in life to show love and abandon fear when we're staring down the eye of a hypothetical Dalek, but "God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love..." (2 Timothy 1:7). We may not change the world with our simple acts, but we may change the lives of those around us. Exhibit A - the Doctor! He'd be a lost cause without the humanity and simplicity of Rose. Let her inspire you!

"Are you afraid?" "No."