11/01/2026
🕯️🌼 Día de los Mu***os: Remembering the Past, Grieving the Present, and Holding on to Hope for the Future. 🖖
As a Mexican woman, therapist, and HUGE Star Trek fan, this Día de los Mu***os feels especially meaningful to me.
I grew up watching the original Star Trek series. What captivated me wasn’t just the exploration of space, the technology, or the adventures aboard the Enterprise. It was the vision of what humanity could become.
Star Trek gave me hope for humankind.
It imagined a future where people had moved beyond poverty, hunger, and so many of the social divisions that have plagued humanity. A world where addiction was no longer the overwhelming societal struggle we see today, where differences in race, culture, nationality, and beliefs did not have to divide us. A future where cooperation, curiosity, compassion, and the pursuit of knowledge mattered more than power and prejudice.
As a Latina, I especially appreciated seeing a future where people from different backgrounds could stand together, contribute, lead, and belong. I know I’m not the only Latina who has found meaning in that vision.
And yet, here we are in 2026, still witnessing human rights violations, discrimination, hate, poverty, and suffering. Sometimes I wonder how we have come so far technologically while still struggling with some of the most basic elements of our humanity.
Perhaps that’s why Star Trek has always meant so much to me. It reminded me that the world doesn’t have to remain the way it is. We can imagine something better. More importantly, we can work toward it.
This year, we also mourn the loss of two members of the Star Trek universe, Sir Patrick Stewart, our Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and Walter Koenig, our beloved Pavel Chekov. Their contributions became part of the memories and experiences shared by generations of fans.
And as we approach Día de los Mu***os, I find myself thinking about the connection between remembrance and grief.
In Mexican culture, we honor those who have passed through photographs, stories, traditions, and memories. We understand that remembering is an expression of love.
As a therapist, I also recognize that grief comes in many forms. We grieve people, relationships, lost opportunities, and even the world we once hoped we would inherit.
We don’t have to rush grief. We don’t have to stop remembering. And we certainly don’t have to stop hoping.
Maybe one of the greatest lessons Star Trek gave us was that humanity’s greatest achievement isn’t reaching the stars. It’s learning how to treat one another once we get there.
To those we have lost: Thank you for the stories, the memories, and the inspiration.
And to the rest of us: May we keep working toward a world worthy of the future we once imagined.
Live long and prosper. 🖖❤️
— Sandy Apolinar, MSW, SWAA
Engaging Therapy and Consulting, LLC
