Must a name mean something?
Mr. Jack is the mask, the suit, the persona I put on as a Real Life Superhero to allow me to go out and do the good I seek to do. But the lines between where that fantasy ends and the reality of my life begins is becoming more and more blurred.
Like many, I chose to start doing this because I wanted to make a change not only around me, but within me. There is a giant amount of wish fulfillment that comes along with putting on a mask and cape and calling yourself a Real Life Superhero. It is the childhood fantasy come true. It is a truly empowering experience, but once you get away from the simple pleasure and ego of it, I began to realize that this really was not a mask and show I was putting on, but a part of myself that I was uncovering.
Sometimes it takes putting on a mask to realize that you are really taking one off. The person I am when under the "guise" of Mr. Jack has slowly become merged with who I am outside of it. I find myself steadily posting the same content and links on other sites that I have on the RLSH forums. I talk about the issues I discuss with my family of this community with my friends and family in actuality. More and more my thoughts turn less towards how I can make Mr. Jack better and instead towards how Mr. Jack can be used to make me and those around me better.
This was always my intention, of course, but the reality of it is still surprising. It is one thing to tell someone what a sunrise looks like after a life spent underground. It is quite another to actually witness that in such a fashion. It is the same for this experience. The alter-ego is that part of that every RLSH seeks to get away from, at least, that is how it is for me. With things overlapping in such a way, that elimination may come in the form of a formation. And perhaps that is best. Real progress is about uncovering the truth and letting it shine. Perhaps in this case, the alter-ego is not something to be eliminated, but a mask that must be lifted. I realizing this simple fact, we may do more good for ourselves and others than we had ever dreamed.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone," it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."
Fantasy and reality fill our lives. It is our duty as humans, however, to separate them out and know how to use each one. Our role as RLSH is to bring a certain distortion to the lines in order to allow people to reconsider where they might actually be drawn. We disrupt the apathy and flow of normalcy in order to draw back the curtains on what actually is. This, I believe, is the duty of every person, and never the opposite.
As a famous man of fiction once said "Artists use lies to tell the truth." I believe my aching lies are finally becoming the truth I always sought. And in so doing, perhaps this art of mine has become the artist.
"I am real!" said Alice, and began to cry.
Mr. Jack,
ReplyDeleteA pleasure to make your aquaintence. One has just met you, and does not know you well enough to speak knowledgeably, however one point above one noticies, calls for dialogue.
Though it is not a perfect system, and you have more experience than one does, contrary to heroes, the Call of Villainy asks the Evil to first take care of their personal life. Keep and maintain a good job, and pay your bills, make and keep friends, and provide for your family. Thenafter as time allows, pursue your malevolent designs (Crush Superheroes, Win the Lottery, Call the cops on your neighbor's hooligan children, etc).
Superheroes however, seem to put acts of kindness before these things, and one notices this leaves you with few resources to use when you wish to apply your will to an objective. Without the Internet community, you would likely be without anyone?
One may be incorrect in this, acknowledges ones naivete, and invites your clarification.
Thank you,
-Lord Malignance
While I can only really speak for myself, I and a few others in the community I know always put their personal livelihoods before helping others. How can you help another person without first helping yourself?
ReplyDeleteThis, I believe, is what you were also saying about villainy. We must first improve ourselves if we are to improve others. Or, as your case is, dominate yourself before you dominate others. Same essence, really.
I have a life of my own away from the mask of Mr. Jack, but that line is indeed become very blurred for me, as I wish it to be. For me, the mask is about self-improvement. By using this in this fashion I can then begin to focus on improvement without of myself.
By the way, what is it exactly that you mean by "without the internet community, you would likely be without anyone?"
And you are in no way naive. You may not be an RLSH, but observation often leads to greater and different insights than experience provides. There is a lot of bias that people tend to put into their own personal experiences. Objective observation from without is much more solid.