Friday, June 25, 2010

Shadow on the Sun

Would you like some theme music?


I have had a hard time as of late. It could just be me, but I see stagnation in our community. This could just be a break in the constant drama we usually are consumed in, but I just feel like things are sagging. Maybe this is the summer feel, maybe it is something else.

I just feel hard to be motivated at this point. Down on my spirits if you will. I am working to get the rally organized and trying to do meetups, but there is just this burning itch that says it is not enough, that urges me to go on forward. But I do not feel it.

With the advent of the new Heroes Network comes and opportunity to build. There has been a tremendous amount of influx and reorganizing on RLSH.net as well, but despite this I still just feel that at this point, we have hit a level.

It is a time of regrouping, reorganization, and, in a lot of ways, rest. Many RLSH have retired from public eye, and the private organizations among us are coalescing in their own hidden ways. Meets are being organized, things are on the verge of occurring, but as of right now, I see very little actually happening.

This could just be my interpretation, but I believe that we are seeing a new growth in the way our wacky world works.

In the beginning days, we saw individuals all arising to the same idea: dress up, go out, and help people. With the information age fueling connectivity between people it was not long before we saw groups form. Small, private, and hard working, these groups set the tone and bars of expectation.

It was not long before these small groups gave way to larger groups, and all the drama and fragmentation we have seen from their formation. We saw things go two ways: private and public. One side embraced the idea of individuals, the other of community. Both brought different things to the table, but the fall of these two systems is once again imminent. Why is this so?

We are going mainstream.

Deny it all you want, but interest in whatever the hell you call what we do has risen to popular status. With the exposure brought on by the Mr. Tangen's project, movies, ads, and general interest by the media, we are now stepping out of the shadows into a greater one: that of the public.

RLSH.net alone has seen a tremendous boom in users, and many are staying and contributing. Other sites are springing up, and as I have said before we are all starting new projects and paths it seems. We are at a new age of public involvement with what we do, or at least dangerously close to the cusp of such.

I do not state any opinion with this. This is merely the marking of a growth our lives. It is important to note things, and I believe that if anyone else feels this same stagnate quiet of reorder and growth that I do, then we are at a very interesting time indeed, my friends.

I will post tomorrow about summer patrols. In the meantime, reflect on where we are. As the old saying goes, you have to know where you have been to know where you are going.

Stay frosty.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Awareness 3: Masked Humility

The mask does not make you, you make the mask.

Sometimes in our little community of costumed crazies we sometimes come to think that we deserve more attention and respect than we actually deserve. Let us be very clear: you are a person who is dressing up in homage to fictional cartoon superheroes who goes out and attempts the delusional, yes delusional, fantasy of helping and fixing the world's problem dressed as such. This is what we do. Nothing more, nothing less. Some of us do it better than others, some of us worse. Some of us actually were born to do it, while some are born to destroy what others have created. In the end, however, we all do this same one thing.

Sometimes, however, caught up in our great delusional fantasy we become arrogant, and desire more value of our person than is worth others. And the issue here is desire. Desire poisons that which you try to purify. Have any of it in your life, and it seeps into the vessels of your actions and ruins them.

For those of us with "secret identities" this desire is actually a great temptress, because while great things can be done by anonymous people in masks no one will actually care that you did it. Secrecy is a great tool in our trade, and can be employed and exploited. It helps us to be confident, keeps us out of many troubles, separates a life we wish others to not be involved with. But with secrecy we may also desire the possibility of power. Since no one knows you, you can act as you wish, do as you please, and belittle whomever you desire in your great quest for the greater good.

This is wrong. Again, the whole desire thing eventually ends up corrupting every aspect of your intentions until none are left. But there are times when we are so tempted to reveal, so questioned by everyone around you for your worth and responsibility that you may want to just drop the facade and admit what you do.

The offer is tempting, and the dramatic reveal of it all can be quite exhilarating. It is one of the greatest "up your's." Someone gets into a fight with you about your lack exhibiting anything beyond normal functions, and you have that ace up your sleeve that you know will garner everyone's awe and admiration.

But it is not worth it. If you have chosen to keep your identity secret it is probably for a very good reason, and things done in the moment with such brashness never turn out well. Besides, if you really need your work as a great big Real Life Super Hero to speak for your entire character, then you obviously have a long way to go to fulfilling yourself as a person. Deluded we may be, but help is what we do. And the absolute first person you must always seek to help is yourself. Not at anyone's expense, not for petty desires, but because you want and know you can achieve that "something more" you may dream of.

If you are only noble and great while in the mask of anonymity then you are a fraud, plain and simple. The point of a secret identity should be to experiment and push yourself to new levels. Take the opportunity of being anonymous to really try and be kind. After all, you are not you. You have a blank slate when as an anonymous pseudonym with a mask and spandex. Take the chance to explore what you could be a little, and then take those things that your learn and try putting them in every facet of your life.

Getting back to the humility we all should carry, I would like to put forth a list of tips and things that all RLSH should follow when out working in order to help them stay within the reality of our fantasy, and to keep ourselves humble and others accepting of our cause.

Mr. Jack's Masked Manners
-Always address police officers as "Sir" or "Ma'am." Respect their authority! Show your fellow helpers (including firemen, doctors, technicians, etc.) your sense of respect for their jobs and you will get respect for yours most often. It is not a one hundred percent thing though, but it does help always in the long run.

-Greet people on the street. When out on patrol, say hi to everyone you meet. Make eye contact, smile, and tell them hello or good day. The power of such a simple gesture like a smile or a wave is one that can change worlds. If people see such a friendly figure dressed up, they begin to question their own masks that they wear. Win over your public not for personal desire for fame or the like, but because it will help you get your message across better and be able to help people and open new doors to love.

-Always maintain composure. A lot of things happen when you are out in full gear, and most of them revolve around people trying to put you down or try and break your focus and composure. Part of being on your guard revolves around not allowing things to get under your skin. When I was with Silver Sentinel, Zetaman, Dark Guardian, Meow, Hunter and Tothian in New York one of the biggest things I admired about all of them was how great they were at just letting things roll off their armor. Silver Sentinel is a great example, as he often plays into what people say. Remember "If you are going to tell someone the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise they'll kill you.

-The customer is always right. In all honesty of you are doing your job right then you are basically the equivalent of a service employee, and as such, you must cater to the customer. I cannot specifically give an example for this because there are so many. If someone wants something, you have to do your best of fulfill it because that is the standard which needs to be held. By all means do what is right, but make it seem like it was the customer's idea. Charisma helps.

-Right is right only when it is nice. Yes people need wake up calls. Yes, people need help to get off the street and be warned about the dangers that fill their life. But think about this for a moment: if you had some guy off the street come up to you and start lecturing you on errors of your way and the virtues of living right would you really instinctively give him your time and listen? Now add in that that guy is dressed in spandex and a cape and calls himself Justice Avenger Supreme. You now see the absurdity of it. Yes, our mandate is to help, but for gods' sakes do not be belligerent and in people's faces unless there is no other way. Rude and noisy should always be a last resort to the virtues of gentle, kind care.

-Hold yourself to the standards you seek of others. If you have unrealistic expectations then you are doomed to fail. In other words, if you think that you can go out and stop crime when you are publicly intoxicated or driving like a maniac or carrying lethal weapons without a permit then you are now the problem others have to help. Lead by example and you will most likely not be questioned for your worth of actions.

-Finally, and this is a small but big thing, look in a mirror when you are dressed up. Yes, it is nice to admire how awesome you look, but this is not my intention for this specific manner. Look in the mirror to see what others will see of you. If you cannot look in the mirror and trust the image you see then neither can anyone else. Appearance is one of the most paramount aspects we should worry about in our community, not again for personal gain, but to be symbols. We wear what we wear to draw attention, to inspire, to help. If you cannot trust who you see in the mirror, change it in someway to make it so you can.

~~~~~~~

Awareness Challenge 2: Think Before You Act

I mean this for every part of your life. Before you take an action, just take a nanosecond and think about what you mean by it, what it will actually do, and how it will be perceived. This sort of thought checking is difficult to maintain for a long time, but with practice it can become second nature. By just slowing down your thought process to "proofread" your action before it happens, you can determine a better course of action for it, which may indeed be the one you had already set. But never underestimate the power of such thought. It may be the difference between you making peace between two people or throwing the first punch. The choice, as always, is your's.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

How to Move On

I was talking to a few friends of mine recently, and one whose opinion I have rapidly come to highly value said something which was very poignant in its reality. I have talked a lot about moving on from conflict and not retaliating, saying that in order to heal fully one must press on from conflict and not engage further. 


While this friend agreed they also said that this in practicality is very difficult to deal with when you have people almost constantly trying to drag you back down into the den of conflict and drama. "Salt rubbed on an open wound still stings," as they said.


This is true. But the essence of pacifism is not that you are to avoid pain. Pain and suffering are will always try to batter down the walls of your happiness. Pacifism is painful, trust me. But the key, the real key to unlocking a better way, is to not react.


In other words:




This is much, much easier said than done, especially when our fight instinct is telling us that we could win if we tried. But that is the trap of it. If we give into that instinct to react in a hurtful way, the person who is originally causing the pain then wins. They have effectively gotten the response which they desired, and have thus transformed you into the aggressor.


Nothing in life is fair. No one ever said it should be, had to be, or needs to be. By getting even, you only involve yourself and make yourself into no better than the person who attacked. This is not a world where getting even is our motivation for life. That path leads to destruction.


Our goal, ultimately everyone's goal, is to live a good and happy life which they can enjoy doing the things they love. We all want happiness. But the false and temporary happiness gained from aggression and response to violence never lasts and never leads to anywhere better than more suffering.


Never.


This is the path of true pacifism, and one which is much harder walked than said. I do not ask others to follow this, but it is one which I will be talking about more and more, as it is the only path I can see that really works the best.


As said, there will always be suffering, always someone to take umbrage against your actions, always someone who, for whatever reason, decided to pick on you, whether it is justified or not. The only thing you can do is live truthfully, bear the pain, and not let it hurt anyone else. And there is a lot of pain in this little world of ours. But it is like the old saying goes:


"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."


Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice


Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
2. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.


Yield: 20 4 oz. servings

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Behind the Mask: Family Through and Through

RLSH means a lot to me, as does theRLSH.net forum and the friends I have made there and elsewhere. In times of great need I have turned to the people I have met there for help and they have always done so. Executrix and Thanatos both helped me out early on when I was still getting my feet secure, and Zetaman, Meow, and Dark Guardian have all been wonderful influences. Minuteman is always a joker and always there to listen, my brother along with Anonyman, who despite his age is very clearly one of the best reasons why what we do as RLSH works. Silver Sentinel and Golden Valkyrie have also been indispensable in their help. Silver is my surrogate father, and Valkyrie my best friend-who-is-a-girl.


If I had to list all of the people who have influenced me so thoroughly in this wild fantasy of comic books sprung to life, this entry would be about 300 names long. I know others may not consider this of me, but I very much consider each and every member of our community part of my family. We all have such potential we can contribute, and it has lifted me up in the dark times I have had in the last year.


I have my own issues, and it has taken a lot for me to work through them. I still am. Each member of this family, my family, has helped in so many unique ways to my life, and so I just wanted to take a moment and thank each and every one of you, whether or not you may ever read this.


You have taught me to love, to laugh, to cry and be okay about it, to stand strong, to hold on, to never give up hope. My family has taught me to be kind, try to understand, be open, and be informed, to listen, to speak, to defend, and to rest. There is so much that you, my family, have given me. Whenever I need to find a comfortable place in the world full of the finest people I know I don the mask and come to you.


I know we fight. I know there are many who would deny my claim to kinship with me. I know that we say and do horrible things to each other, sometimes for no purpose, sometimes for a misguided purpose, and sometimes with a very hard purpose. But I accept that. All families have their own problems, and ours is no different. I forgive you, and I know I can be harsh and domineering and even pretentious sometimes, but I hope that you can find it in you to give the same forgiveness to me.


Because at the end of the day, we are still family. Love which can truly unite, and if we all just could take a second, recognize that, and try for it, I think we can do even greater things.


My brothers, my sisters, my aunts and uncles, all my family, I love you. Truly. As cheesy and as pathetic as that may be, I do mean it. Because without you there would not only not be a Mr. Jack.


There would not be me.


~~~~~~~


Vita, amor et veritas. 




Stay frosty, my friends.

The Times They Are A-Changin'



Tothian has been banned, and Superhero and Silver Sentinel have both left the therlsh.net. It is an interesting day and age in which we live when we miss the presence of people whom we have never met. Now, this is a bit of a lie on my account, but the majority of the people here have never met these people in what we call "real life." Their existence has only ever been relayed through code, waves, and cables. Technically speaking, they could entirely be figments of our imagination. They are, however, not.

We are all people. We have lives that intersect with so many paths of life that we could never hope to fathom them. The roads we individually take all lead different places, but often times on those roads you have company. This company changes over time, as new paths are found and forged, and others are ended. In our dedication to our own path, we must no forget the roads we have crossed, and the paths that have lead us here. And above all, we must never forget the people who walked them.

Tothian will be back, and both Silver Sentinel and Superhero are still very much around and active. We sometimes forget about the world outside our digital confines, and we must realize that while in these hollow halls of numbered words and unknown friends, the person on the other side is still just that: a person. Choose to interact, choose to engage, choose to live. There is so much time spent in our lives that could be spent doing something better, and even that time can be found to be for a better cause latter. It is our manifest as humans to exercise that choice to the fullest extent.

Times change, and so do we. In this, our time of greater exposure and new faces, in this our time of experienced grounding and life fulfilling, in this our time of reaching the end and ending, we are all together. So let us be.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Some Super Advice on the Point of Relationships

People need experience, not with serving one another and servicing them, but they need exposure to love. Love is a universal thing, and while some love is eternal, we all need experience with the fleeting to truly appreciate that which ends up persisting.

I have entered into relationships sheerly for pleasure. A fling. Was it fun? Yes. Did I learn things about love that I did not know before? Yes. Did I know it would not last? Yes. Am I a better and stronger person for it? Absolutely.

Saying that you should only dedicate yourself to one woman and one man is, while virtuous, completely impractical and unrealistic. You need experience, and to do that, you need to share love. Love is not a thing to be selfishly guarded by a 'godly' couple in a self-righteous fashion.

Why?

Because it is pride, it is ego, and it is just spiteful. Give your love, and your love will give back.

Love does not always work forever. People have falling outs, but in these times it is not a book of proverbs or a godly spirit which will keep them together and truly happy, but remembering why they truly fell in love with one another in the first place.

I am not defending divorce. If you divorce, you probably should not have gotten married in the first place. But to be honest we can not say for everyone, because the whole world is unique and each situation must be approached for what it is, not what something else is.

While things like the Bible and self-help books do help in times of need for advice, quoting them and living by only those sorts of advices does not make you smarter in the ways of love. And all it really tends to do is raise up your arrogance and ego in an unrealistic way. People who have truly studied these words and practiced them for years can talk with such a positions, but it is still avarice and arrogance and should not be practiced. When you allow your words and study to become your actions, then you do what is truly intended by these books and ideas.

Love, above all, is to be shared. Whether by man and woman, woman and woman, man and man, or many different combinations in varying numbers.

But the point of love, true, absolute, splendid love, is not to be godly and selfish with it. The point of love is spreading the true happiness which emanates from the presence of your union with your fellow man. This type of love shines like a beacon and fills all the facets of your life with warmth that touches people and inspires them to do the same.

But getting there is a long path. And it is not filled with you setting yourself up for failure by only dating people you will marry. This is not to say excessive, slutty whoring is the way to find true love. You must choose what helps you grow, as any good person. Devote yourself to finding the love you have for everyone and it will be returned in the most wonderful of ways.

You will not find love in the pages of a book, only the suggestion of it. Stop reading, stop watching TV, stop wasting your life, and instead think about how you can love other people.

It begins simply.

Instead of making comments about how bad a person looks, take time out of your day to compliment people about how well they did something, or how nice they look today. If you compliment others, then you are brightened as well. Trust me, it works.

Do not pigeon hole yourself when looking for one type of romance. Do not say "I want a boy who drives a fast car and has sexy hair" because that is limiting, and when the boy who comes along and really cares about you with all his heart, you may not see him. This goes for men too. In love, never limit, always open.

Just because someone does not agree with you or do the same things as you or like the same things as you does not mean that love cannot thrive between you two. My girlfriend and I are very different people, but our two year anniversary is coming up soon, and I still love her more and more each day than I ever thought could be possible.

You must allow yourself to fall into love. Often when you actively seek love, you smolder it with expectations, as I have stated. So allow it to come to you. When someone asks you on a date, do not stick your nose up and say "you are not the person I will marry," and then turn them down. Say yes. Fine, so you may not merry them. But your night of possible happiness will allow you to grow in your love and experience. And even if it was terrible you can still look back, laugh at it, and grow from the mistake it was.

Love is about finding the way to make everyone happier. It, like most of life, is a passage of growth that will ultimately shine out to those around you as well as between the romance you breath into your own life. When you allow yourself to truly love, not in a Christian, or Muslim, or arranged, or loose way, but truly find the love in each person you come across, then the real romance of your life will open up. No matter what course love takes you, if you are happy, then that is your path.

People must have experience to grow. So stop limiting yourself, get out there, meet people, and love.

Love, and you will prosper.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Awareness 2: The Other Person

We are all people.

Most of us seem to forget this, and in our ignorance we demean our humanity. If we hurt another, we hurt ourselves, because ultimately, no matter what excuse is given, what justification used, what reason employed, you have just hurt another person who is at their base exactly like you.

Look in another's mirror, and see not yourself, but them. We must see ourselves in the other person to truly understand how to act. This awareness of our humanity is absolutely essential to all human beings. It helps us to understand our brother's and sister's actions, and helps to put in perspective their views.

Because while at our base we are all the same, we all walk very different paths to realizing how me can fulfill our potential. When anger flares, and tempers rise, we must step back, look in that other person's mirror, and realize that it is we who are standing there.

Empathy is only a fraction of this. Because not only must we understand the other person, but also live them. To truly give compassion, and I cannot stress this enough, we must first show it.

We are all people, and in our differences we often cross each other. The fires of being attacked flare, and we react with the hate we are shown. The golden rule at its worst. Reach not for that which you have been shown, but that which you have dreamt of. If the other person is you, you must think what you would want to have done for you in that situation. This is not about weakness, for in our compassion we are building, and creation is the strongest of all forces.

Sometimes, we stare at the mirror, and project ourselves there even though we know we should not. We must become our enemy, for ultimately, they are our friend. If we hate another so deeply, then we only hate ourselves, and in that hate we bring on fear and weakness and desire and anger and all the vices of a person solely contained within "I."

It is not about me, but about you. This mentality and mindset will calm you in the deepest throes of anguish. When we stop in our lives to really remember to look in the mirror and see the reflection of you, we remember our respect, and become accountable for all.

Responsibility is big, and it does not come immediately. It comes from building with you, and when you begin to realize that you are me, then we can really begin to build something wondrous.

Think of the reflection of you, not your I, but the you you see in others. When we take a simple break to think of why we are the other person, we realize that everyone is an other person. And in doing so, we begin to sew the seeds of calm, compassionate understanding.

~~~~~~

Awareness Challenge 1: Compliment Freely.

Find different ways to encourage those you know. Show them the respect you think they deserve. When you see a person do something you like, tell them. If someone you know has just accomplished something big or done something great, let them know, even if you do not like them. Shake their hand, if it is so appropriate. Give compliments and smiles. Maybe even a hug, if you think it is to be deserved. These simple acts of kind acknowledgement can really brighten a person's day and disposition. Be genuine in your wishes, however. Faked love is not love. Do this, show this little compassion that all people enjoy and people will begin to see that other person in you.