Reading
level up your life, I noticed two alter egos.
There were the people with characters that aligned with their interests. These were people who practiced martial arts
in real life so they created a character who did so as well. The second group had more fanciful characters
such as wizards and druids. These people
turned a trip to the grocery store into a hunt for an ancient artifact—more
fantasy than fantastic filter.
So who is
my character? Class wise I am some kind
of warrior. I do not want to have to
stretch too much in order to align my goals and quests with real life—so
probably part of group 1. The whole
action hero/secret agent bit did not hold my interest long since I do not see
myself as an action hero in the classic pulpy sense. Rather I see myself as a man of
principal—someone for whom promises matter almost as much as doing what is
right. Additionally, I want to think of
myself as something fantastic—of fantasy—more than just a guy losing weight or
some guy who happens to know his way around a fight.
One of
the exercises in Super You involves envisioning the “super” version of
yourself. You consider how that image differs
from your real-life persona. The intent
is to show you what your mind wants to change about your life. I keep coming back to an aging gunfighter or
a Jedi.
I like
the idea of the gunfighter thanks to shows like have gun, will travel and
authors like Louis L’Amour. Those guys
did what was right, fought the odds, and won with heart and steel. The problem is, that’s maybe a little too
close to home. I do not actually want to
get into a gun fight for what I hope are obvious reasons. Firearms are by definition an integral part
of a gunfighter’s character. Sure, I’m
looking for a concealed carry permit but that is not in any way because I want
to walk around looking for trouble—quite the opposite. While I enjoy reading about the fictional
West, whenever I try to imagine myself in that time I end up asking how many of
those shots over-penetrated? I wonder if
that state has constitutional carry now?
It makes it hard to suspend belief—so I am afraid the gun fighter is
out.
If you
asked me 20 years ago if I saw myself as a Jedi, the answer would have been a
definitive no. I love the story of star
wars but have to say that Luke always came across as a whiney little kid. For me and for a lot of my friends, Star Wars
was more about Anican’s redemption than Luke’s triumph. Of course, there’s been a lot of writing
since I first saw a new hope. The
expanded universe may no longer be cannon but it was the foundation of my Star
Wars addiction.
Jedi are
interesting imagination fodder. They are
guided by a power that has intrinsic morality.
Many are philosophers and scholars before warriors. Each is an individual—subject to their own
strengths and weaknesses. I do not think
I would be looking at force users as a personal template though if I had not
agreed to a massive light saber fight with a bunch of our FND kids. It brought home that as much as I see Jedi as
thinkers first and dooers second, they are universally people of action. I started looking around and found a knightly
order based on some dark horse comics.
The imperial knights are soldiers more than warrior poets. They use generic sabers (all silver) and
swear their loyalty to their emperor.
Their order comes up about 130 years after a new hope, so the setting is
not as bound in historical stricture.
Then I came across this quote from one of their most famous members:
“Come, you hounds of the dark! Come to your deaths! Hurl your power at me! I deny you! I defy you! I am a Knight of the Empire, and I am your doom!”
~ Antares Draco
Yaa, that is the shit right
there. Imperial knight, that’s me—or
what I am training to be anyway. It’s
going to take a lot of work but come September I’m going to be in fighting
condition. Then I can start training in
earnest. Until then, time to work my way
into a smaller robe size.
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