One of the fundamentally best ways of learning in life is by example. It’s interesting then to consider a race (the Tamarians in TNG 5×02 ‘Darmok’) that communicates entirely by example, or by metaphor.
‘Shaka, when the walls fell’ is an example of failure (presumeably a battle that went wrong). We can all do well to consider out failures and see what we learn from them. Although we can and do make mistakes the first time round, this is not reason to give up or feel disheartened, but we should view these times as an opportunity to do better. The best way to learn is by example, and if that example is our own we are only human, and although that means we can fail, it also means that we can do better.
‘Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra’ is further example of lessons learned in the pass (two men defeating a common enemy together). People working together will almost always be more benificial than people working alone, and the lessons learned together will again be more benificial than those just learned by oneself. This is an interesting double metaphor, because it suggests that example can be used to go forward in the future, and it itself is an example of this, but also understanding this will be a benfit to those learning it.
