What Can Christians Learn from Spider-Man

Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard of every Christian.  But through our earthly heroes – whether real or fictional – we receive reflections of the good and praiseworthy qualities that we can fully see in Jesus Christ.  And, at the same time, the good and praiseworthy qualities that we find in our heroes – real or fictional – are traced back or projected towards our admiration of the supreme worth of Jesus Christ. 

As far as I can remember, Spider-Man has always been one of my most favorite fictional characters ever.  However, it’s not only because of the coolness and uniqueness of the character that I get to love Spider-Man but, most importantly, because of the admirable qualities that make him a genuine role model despite of being a fictional character.  And Christians can learn some really deep lessons from Spider-Man. 

WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

Let’s start with the most obvious – Spidey’s iconic motto: “With great power comes great responsibility.”  From what I’ve written about it before:

It simply means that responsibility always accompanies power, and the amount of responsibility is directly proportional to the amount of power; hence, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility.  And what is this responsibility?  To do the right thing, of course!  If you found yourself possessing the capability or are in the position to do the right thing, then you should do it.  Or as Martin Sheen (as Uncle Ben in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man) put it, “…if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things.  That's what at stake here.  Not a choice, responsibility.”

Therefore, if Spidey is put in a situation where he knows he can do something good, he jumps into it with no hesitation.  When facing a difficult choice, but it’s apparent that it’s the right thing to do, he will still choose it.  He takes responsibility of the good he could do with the power he found himself having.      

In the same way, we Christians have been given much “power” (2 Timothy 1:7, Acts 1:8, Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 3:20, Luke 10:19, etc.), hence, we should act on the “responsibility” that has been entrusted to us (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 5:13-16, Luke 10:30-37, Hebrews 10:24, Titus 2:7-9, etc.).  Nonetheless, we should not think that we have to immediately go “save the world” (besides, saving the world was Jesus’ job, not ours).  Yes, Spider-Man has been instrumental or has contributed to saving the world a couple of times.  But it’s only because of his consistent willingness to take responsibility and do his best in every chance he can do good that he developed the moral instinct and preparedness to do good in whatever scenario, regardless of being big or small in scale.  Likewise, we should just do the best we can in doing good whenever the opportunity or situation calls for it – whether it be small or big (Luke 16: 10).

DO THE RIGHT THING.  NO MATTER WHAT.

An integral facet established by Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee, for the character to make him relatable is how his alter ego, Peter Parker, is constantly struggling with personal troubles such as financial difficulties and getting bullied (especially during his earlier days).  Moreover, his personal life is even affected negatively because of prioritizing the good he does as Spider-Man – he’s always late on appointments and school, benefits and opportunities are sacrificed, and even his relationships with the important people in his life suffer.  It’s as if he can’t catch a break.  What’s even worse is, due to the works of haters like J. Jonah Jameson, any good that he does is unappreciated by the public as he’s branded as a “menace.”  But regardless of the circumstance he’s in or any consequences it might cost him personally, he makes no excuses and he will do the right thing at every opportunity. 

Facing difficulties is always part of being a Christian.   But even in the midst of whatever degree or form of difficulties, just as Spider-Man constantly brings justice to the being of his Spider-Man identity, we should likewise constantly uphold our Christian identity.  We, Christians, are to obey Christ’s commandments and pursue God’s glory in all things.  With the same consistency and selflessness that Spider-Man displays in doing the right thing, so should we likewise display in doing right in every situation.  No.  Matter.  What. 

Doing the right thing is often not easy.  There will be times we will be sacrificing a personal benefit or advantage.  And there will be times that a good deed will go unappreciated.  And there will be even times when the right thing to do is an unpopular one.  But we learn from Spider-Man that we ought to do the right thing, no matter how hard it proves to be. 

For us Christians, if it’s worth doing for God’s glory, then we need to do it.  Even at the point of death (Revelations 2:10).            

PRESS ON.  NO MATTER WHAT.   

Spider-Man displays inspiring resiliency.  Whatever antagonisms and difficulties he faces as both Spider-Man and Peter Parker, he continues to fight on.  He will do the best that he can in any situation to do the right thing and to overcome the challenges in front of him.

But he does fall sometimes.  He gets discouraged.  There are times he wishes that he never became Spider-Man.  There are times that he wants to quit – or even had quit.  Despite the spider-powers, he is human after all and subject to human failings.  However, he never permanently stays down.  He eventually rises back to his feet.  Stronger than ever.  He presses onwards.  He continues being Spider-Man.    

Resiliency – and, most importantly, faithfulness – in all circumstances is necessary for a Christian.  In discussing my life slogan, “Keep Calm and Press On”, I wrote, with regards to Philippians 3:7-14:

Despite the tremendous amount of hardships and struggles that he had undergone in his life, Paul remained enthusiastic, resolute, and kept moving forward.  Why?  For he understood the great value of this future prize that God has set for him in Heaven, and that no earthly pleasure or glory can ever come close in matching that.  So he worked hard for the glory of God – storing riches in Heaven that will last for eternity – rather than seeking earthly pleasures and glory that are all temporary anyway.  In everything, he gave it his all, no matter what.  He knew that every sacrifice, every pain, every drop of effort, is going to be worth it; the glory and happiness that he would receive as reward far outweigh the sufferings that he experienced in this world while working for God’s glory.

While Spider-Man probably only has a noble – but incomplete – sense of altruism that keeps him fighting, Christians have the advantage of having an infinitely valuable Heavenly Prize to look forward to – a Reward that will more than make up for all sacrifices done in this world.  Hence, don’t Christians have more reason to fight for?  Don’t Christians have more reason to be resilient about?  Don’t Christians have more reason to rise up after falling?  Don’t Christians have more reason to press onwards?  Don’t Christians have more reason to continue upholding their Christian identity? 

BE JOYFUL.  NO MATTER WHAT. 

With the many problems that he experiences in his life, and with his strong sense of duty of doing right no matter what, it would come to no surprise if he ended up being a burdened and grave superhero.  But, ironically, he is quite the opposite.  Spider-Man is one of the most joyful superheroes around.  Yes, there are some times that he feels that being Spider-Man is a curse, but as I’ve mentioned earlier, he eventually gets over his brooding.  Most of the time, he enjoys being Spider-Man and delights in what he does.  And that is reflected on his cheerful, goofy attitude when he goes around doing his Spider-Man duties. 

In the same way, despite the hardships, there is much to rejoice about as a Christian (1 Peter 1:8, Philippians 4:4, Luke 10:20, etc.).  I no longer need to go at length discussing how or in what ways.  Yes, we have crosses to bear (Luke 9:23), and pain and struggles will always be part of the Christian life, but there is much joy in the presence of Christ.  And it should be apparent for the world to see as we live out our Christian identity and do our Christian duties.

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The Profound Message of "The Emperor's New Clothes"

Walt Disney’s Emperor New Groove turned out to be a thoughtful, very hilarious animated movie, but it doesn’t have the depth of the classic short story that inspired its title.  “The Emperor’s New Clothes” was first published in Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection., and it’s one of my most favorite “children fairy tales” ever, for it is an amusing tale that conveys a thought-provoking, profound message. 

The story tells of a vain, probably narcissistic emperor whose only concern is wearing the most exquisite clothing and updating his extensive wardrobe collection.  One day, two swindlers presented themselves as tailors to the emperor and offered to weave for him a special, extraordinary clothing that has a remarkable feature: it is rendered invisible to those that are incompetent or stupid.  The emperor’s vanity and curiosity got the better of him and he commissioned the two swindlers/tailors to make it.  Furthermore, he believed this will allow him to kill two birds with one stone – aside from getting to wear this special clothing, he would also be able to determine which among his subjects are stupid and incompetent.  And so, the two swindlers – having been provided with the gold payment and elegant materials that they asked for – proceeded to “work” on the fabric.  People, of course, didn’t see a thing, but not wanting to be considered “stupid and incompetent” talked and behaved as if they have seen it.  The emperor himself, when the fabric was presented to him, was horrified for he can’t see anything, but had to carry on as if he did.  With no one admitting that he actually couldn’t see anything, but pretended that he could because of the self-conscious fear of being shamed and exposed as stupid or incompetent, nobody was able to realize that others were also dealing with the same predicament as his.  The emperor even paraded the “clothes” in front of his people, but he was in fact naked the whole time.  Everybody knew that the emperor wasn’t really wearing any clothes, but they cheered and praised the “emperor’s new clothes” for they didn’t want to be branded as stupid or incompetent.  The ruse would have continued if not for an innocent boy – who had no concern of his self-image but merely acknowledges whatever his eyes show to him – that loudly pointed out the fact that the emperor wasn’t wearing any clothes.  The father initially hushed him, but that one remark of honesty incited the crowd to admit to themselves that the boy was right, that they can’t see any clothing, that the emperor was indeed naked.    

The tale illustrates a sad facet of Men’s depraved nature.   The truth is something we will repress it if it will cause inconvenience and unpopularity.  We are more concerned with maintaining our comfortable status quo; we are more concerned with what people will think of us.   Hence, we prefer conforming to the popular thought of the majority, even if what we honestly perceive is actually the opposite of that.  We pretend to adore the beauty of the emperor’s clothes when in fact what we really see is the nakedness of the emperor.  We readily embrace hypocrisy if it’ll preserve our pride rather than undergo the uneasiness brought by truthfulness.  

And the absurd thing is that the “popular thought of the majority” is sometimes itself an illusion.  Everyone is afraid to speak the contrary in fear of being ridiculed as foolish.  But, ironically, by trying to protect his image from being deemed foolish, one is actually being foolish by carrying a pretense.   Just like the emperor who wanted to avoid humiliation by actually doing something humiliating – parading himself nude in front of his people.   

In this world dominated by superficiality and hypocrisy and vanity and lies, we really need more people that have the childlike boldness and non-hesitance to straightforwardly blurt out the truth.  Oftentimes, at the early stage of falsity, all it takes to break the general facade is a tiny voice that can candidly point out that the emperor has no clothes on.  One drop of honest declaration could lead to the eventual admission of the truth by the majority who initially chose to repress it. 

Indeed, it is important to call the bluff of falsehood as early as possible.  For if no one would do so, this falsehood would eventually evolve into delusion.  And delusions are harder to break.  When it reaches this level, untruth is adopted as the majority’s accepted version of “the truth”, and declaring the genuine truth then will result to graver persecutions (e.g. death).  So at the earliest opportunity, it’s imperative to demolish falsehood, before it becomes terminal.

Still, regardless of the extent of falsehood’s influence, whenever we encounter truth, we are morally obligated to uphold it, no matter what the degree of difficulty we could receive from doing so.  “The truth shall set you free.”  Freedom is what’s at stake here.  And great will be the punishment for those who knowingly and pridefully suppress truth and practice duplicity – it’s going to be worse than suffering the laughter and shaming from parading naked in front of people.      

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Be. Still.

Whenever there are storms in my life,
God responds with two words:

"Be. Still."

Either He addresses those words to the storm
Or He addresses them to me.

Either He calms the tempest -
preventing that threatening external stimuli from continuing.
Or He calms my restless heart in turmoil -
giving me internal peace despite the raging storm around me.

Either way, His message to me is the same:
"I. Am. God."

To question Him, I dare not.
He is always in control.
And everything happens in accordance to His perfect, wise will.

Every storm is an opportunity to be awed by God.
His supremacy and goodness always reign.

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One Day at a Time

“You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There's a saying: ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present”.’”

- Master Oogway (Kung Fu Panda)

“He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to Eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the Present.  For the Present is the point at which time touches Eternity.”

- from C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters

Press on one day at a time.

That’s how to live life.

The past is done. 

It can’t be changed.

 Hence, being concerned of it is a waste of time and energy. 

But the present is the perfect time to amend the mistakes of the past.

And there is no better time to start anew than the present.

True, the future is somewhat affected by the present.

But the future is not something that is in our power.

Thus, investing our hope on the future is a waste.

Rather, we just have to do our best in the present.

And invest our hope on Someone that does hold the future.

(That “Someone” is God, if it’s not obvious.)

One day at a time.

Just survive the day.

Do our best to accomplish the day’s goals and entrusted tasks.

Ask for the daily bread.

Be still.

Live on prayer.

And trust God

The past can hurt me. 

The future can worry me. 

So why dwell on them?

They are out of my hands.

But the present is something certain.

It’s a moment in time I’ve been given the opportunity to touch.

So it’s where I need to focus.

And with the gift of present, also comes the grace of living under God’s supremacy.

This truth, I embrace happily.

That should be enough to give me peace.

For if God bothered to assure the happiness of my Eternity,

Surely, he also have my day-by-day journey towards it taken care of.

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"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility": Spider-Man's Most Inspiring Lesson

You can get tons of inspirational lessons from Spider-Man.   But every lesson you can learn from Spider-Man can be ultimately traced originating from one basic principle, Spider-Man’s trademark mantra: “With great power comes great responsibility.”  It simply means that responsibility always accompanies power, and the amount of responsibility is directly proportional to the amount of power; hence, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility.  And what is this responsibility?  To do the right thing, of course!  If you found yourself possessing the capability or are in the position to do the right thing, then you should do it.  Or as Martin Sheen (as Uncle Ben in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man) put it, “…if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things.  That's what at stake here.  Not a choice, responsibility.”

  

You should always do what is right – it’s a responsibility!  That is some heavy stuff.  That’s what “with great power comes great responsibility” is all about.  And a fifteen-year old Spider-Man had to learn it the hard way. 

But because of that fateful event, it made Spider-Man one of the most morally steadfast superhero ever.  Doing good is paramount to him.   No matter what the cost will be, he will pursue the right thing.  Indeed, Spidey sometimes find himself confused in determining or defining the “right thing to do.”  But his sincerity of doing the right thing can never be doubted.   

As long as it’s the right thing to do, Spidey will stubbornly press on.

Nothing will prevent him from doing what is right.  Even if bad stuff and misfortune consistently happen to his life (due to the notorious “Parker luck”); even if his heroics and selfless deeds go unappreciated and unrewarded; even if, in return of saving and protecting the populace, he instead receives ungratefulness and prejudice from them; even if his personal life and relationships suffer whenever he prioritizes his moral responsibilities; even when he’s already exhausted and injured; even if he is facing tremendous hazards, and defeat or death is likely; even if the odds are greatly stacked up against him; and even if doing the right thing is unpopular to the majority, Spider-Man will always be resolute, courageous, positive, and jolly in doing good.

Of course, he snaps sometimes -- gets discouraged, impatient, and bitter. He’s human after all. But he always reverts back to his usual cool.

He puts doing the right thing above anything else.  Even above his self-interests and personal happiness.  In Spider-Man 2 (one of the greatest movies ever), Peter Parker spoke of this (originally from his Aunt May): “Sometimes, to do what's right, we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.”  It’s very moving.  This added another stirring layer to Spider-Man’s already inspiring character.   

“With great power comes great responsibility.”  To fight for the right thing always.  This is what really puts the amazing on the Amazing Spider-Man.   

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Food for Thought from an Optical Illusion Image

Check this out. 

Can you find a horse in this picture of a frog?  Really.  I’m not kidding you.  There is a horse hidden in the image.  You just need to look hard. 

If you finally see the horse or has given up looking for it, scroll down.

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This is probably my most favorite optical illusion image.  To see the horse, you need to look at the picture from a different perspective:

Pretty cool, right?

We can derive a simple but valuable lesson from this: it pays to look at things through a different perspective.

In solving problems, it is important to think out of the box.  The solution to a problem might be derived by looking at it differently.  See the problem from a different perspective to find the “horse.”       

Also, looking at a different perspective also helps in settling any disagreements.  Now, I acknowledge and believe that there are indeed such things as objective and absolute truths, in which there is only one way of looking at the matter.  At these particular instances, it is necessary to resolutely stand firm by the objective truth against the opposition.  But, in life, there are also many times where we will encounter subjective truths – a matter that can be look upon from many perspectives.  You might see it as a “frog” and another sees it as a “horse”, and you are both correct as far as the respective context or perspective that you are looking at the matter from is concerned.  Hence, if we find our emotions being roused to obnoxiously argue with someone that sees it as a “horse” since we see it as a “frog”, then it is wise to take a pause first.  And carefully think.  Let us be discerning and try to understand where the different view is coming from.  Let us put ourselves in their shoes, and try to look at it from their point of view.  By understanding that there are several ways to look at it, the opposing sides could have a proper and effective discourse and together reach a higher vantage point to see the whole picture. 

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An Inspirational Food for Thought from Captain America

A bit of a background:

This happened during the “Civil War” event back in ’06 (if I recall the year right).  After leaving the Pro-Registration side because his conscience couldn’t stomach their methods (like imprisoning non-registered heroes in the Negative Zone), Spider-Man wrestled with a moral dilemma.  He knew that the Iron Man and the Pro-Registration side were wrong, but they were the ones on the side of the government, enforcing the Superhuman Registration Act; he was uncomfortable of switching sides, considering the fact that those in the Anti-Registration side are the ones breaking the Law.

Captain America, the leader of the Anti-Registration side, gave Spidey a very thought-provoking speech that finally put him at ease.  When I read that, it felt to me that Captain America was really delivering this speech in person in front of me.  It gave me goosebumps ; its powerful truth echoed through my bones.    

Beautiful.  /slowclap /tears 

Captain America, from time and time again, has proven that he’s loyalty doesn’t lie with the US government.  His allegiance has always been for the values and principles that America is founded upon; he believes that these are the essence of America, thus, by extension, the essence of his being Captain America.  (Now I like to think that, even as American values and morality gradually deteriorates due to the ongoing poisoning of liberal philosophy on American society, the American nation has been solidly founded on wonderful values of freedom and morality.   I like to think that this perception is a historical fact, and not a mere product of romantic thought.  And these American values are represented and personified by Captain America.)        

Anyway, the point of Captain America’s speech was this:

Doing what is right is never dependent on what the majority or what authority says is right.  In fact, time and time again, you will find that the objective right thing is actually at odds with the world’s definition of “the right thing.”  It takes true courage and guts to make a stand, to do the right thing, to never give in to pressure, to never compromise, when everything – everyone or every power – around you is against you. 

I coin Captain America’s philosophy as “moral badassery” (you heard this from me first. lol) – the best kind of badassery that could possibly be.  And I really want to emulate this.  I want to have the courage of doing the right thing no matter what the circumstance and cost to me are – to steadfastly hold my ground, stare down the incoming charge of the world’s fallacious principles, and say, “No, you move.”    

I want to be a moral badass like Captain America.        

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The First Rule of Leadership

“First rule of leadership: everything is your fault.”

This quote comes from the villain of A Bug's Life, Hopper, but there is truth and wisdom in it nonetheless.   Of course, this “first rule” is technically not true all of the time.   There will always be things out of the leader’s control, making any degree of competence a non-factor.  Nevertheless, a good leader understands that this seemingly unfair “first rule” comes with the territory of being a leader.  Leadership is a great power.  And, as what Spider-Man taught us, with great power comes great responsibility.  If something goes wrong during the leader’s watch, then the leader should be ready to take the responsibility for it.  No excuses.  Thus, it takes a set of serious balls for someone to embrace this harsh reality.  But that’s the main point: a good leader has balls.

Besides, a good leader is always rewarded by good subordinates.  And good subordinates, whenever the organization falls short, are willing to take the fault to themselves to shield their leader from damage.   

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Tetsuya Kuroko: Template of a Worship Leader

“I am a supporting actor, a shadow. But a shadow will become darker if the light is stronger and it will make the white of the light stand out.” - Tetsuya Kuroko

In my lecture on worship, I analogized Tetsuya Kuroko (the titular character of the basketball anime Kuroko No Basuke) as how a worship leader should be. His quote (see above) powerfully and poetically nailed the proper attitude and outlook of a genuine and effective worship leader. It is parallel to what John the Baptist stated in John 3:30: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” As what I’ve argued:

God is our Light, and we worship leaders are His shadow. Just as Tetsuya directs attention away from himself to make his teammates better, so we must make ourselves less and less that God would become greater and greater. As the shadow, let us be “darker” that “the white of the Light will stand out.” […] The best worship leaders are those that can effectively direct all available glory towards God.

I want to elaborate on it a bit. In this analogy, Tetsuya is the worship leader. The basketball is the “praise” or “glory”. And the recipient of the basket ball is God.

Thus, the best kind of worship leader is someone who can deflect or redirect that basketball of “glory” towards God in every single play.

“Passing” the glory to God comes naturally to him.

It’s an instinctive automatic response whenever an available opportunity to do so presented itself.

And he eagerly seeks such opportunities around him all of the time.

If the glory is being directed towards him, he will automatically redirect that glory to God.

And whenever someone attempts to grab the glory for himself, the worship leader would prevent that from happening by promptly pushing the glory towards God.

Tetsuya Kuroko is a perfect template of a true worship leader. He should be emulated, not only by worship leaders, but by all worshippers.

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Establishing a New Status Quo (Hopefully)

Recently, I felt that if life is a board game, then I’ve always been eventually ending up on a tile that dictates “Go back to start.”  

And I’m tired of it. 

So I took the first step of changing the status quo – to make a new “start” point.  I need to get upgrades or/and overhauls on several facets of myself.  (Maybe it’s even time for the Version 2.0?)

From this month onward, there is a need for changes on my routines and, hopefully, my attitude.  This would take time and hard work.  And I pray that God would grant me the necessary wisdom, tenacity, perseverance, and patience for this process.

I’ll take one step at a time.  One day at a time.  

If all goes well, I will start to kick butt again.  

Hopefully...

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A Weather Storm is Brewing

Just around the corner, a Weather Machine sits…

A terrifying storm is brewing…

You can feel it in the air.

Tingling feeling from increasing static. 

Rapid change in pressure.

You can almost smell the ozone forming.

It’s coming soon...
  

00:00

Suddenly…

Thick, dark clouds swiftly gather above

Darkness envelopes the place.

Then… the Wrath of Heaven blasts down!

Massive devastation.

The scariest thing about this is:

Even if you aren’t the target all,

With all those deadly lightning bolts chaotically striking about,

You can easily become part of the collateral damage.

Lightning storms almost spare no one.

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A Poem To Summarize Who I Am

(This is a simple poem I made and used to have as content in the "personal bio" part of my social network accounts.)

The boy, though with a knight’s heart, is a gunslinger
Beyond the laughter, not many can see the cold eyes
A six-shooter or a six-string, it does not matter
Both are weapons, as well as the pen of a writer
On knock downs, he'll hear invisible cheers then he'll rise
Never governed by the Laws of Odds, he rolls the dice

The boy, calm and cool as ice, patiently makes his stand
Life is Mexican stand-offs and showdowns and marvels
He aims well and true; a blur when he draws with his hand
Long adventures through the worlds of Oz and Wonderland
His destination is Home; with a smile, he travels
Should he be tempted by the diamonds and jewels?

The boy knows that guns are stronger than the world's magic
The blessing of always having an ace in his cards
The best combo is imagination and logic
Against the Dark - the theoretically tragic
Haunted by the ghosts brought by songs and tales of the bards
With silver bullets, he makes his stand in the graveyards

The boy only lifts his hat and bows down to Big Boss
And he has no fear even of his journeys at night
He’d been personally handpicked by the King for His Great Cause
There is no greater power he knows than of the Cross
Never can the Gates of Hell prevail over the Light
This world calls him a fool, but he'll soon reach that high height

My name is Bernel, of Legazpi, Son of Efren
Soon the day will come when I’ll ride towards the sunset
I will survive the stand-offs, oh, I am sure I can
At Home, I will see the fields of red roses by then
The Ultimate Joy and Pleasure shall be fully met
The music never stops; immortality, not death

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The Vampire Allegory

You vowed to fight them.
Slay them.
To protect yourself and others.
You hunt them or they’ll be the ones that would do the hunting.
Then comes a day you realize… that you had become like them.
That’s the most painful thing about getting bitten.  When you become the evil you hate.

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A Magical Night

A memory that will forever resonate...

"Bernel."
In front of all those people, she said my name with a smile.
The screams and applause of these people, due to wave of their own exhilaration and the generation's addiction to phenylethylamine, followed and filled the air.
I was invisible among this crowd; I can't help but grin, struggling not to giggle. I was, obviously, elated.
A magical moment that night.

Months later, the venue of that magical moment was burned to the ground.

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Mexican Standoff

I don’t mind a Mexican standoff.

This is the ultimate deadlock or stalemate.
Romantic impasse.
Tension is thick.
Each opponent is threatened and cannot move without endangering his life.
Being nervous is normal.
But keeping your cool and good concentration are the best weapons you have.
The first move would destroy the unstable equilibrium of multiple deterrence.
Aims would be shifted or taken away.
The emotions that were building up will erupt.
All hell would break lose.

Until then, before the first move/s, there is still no winner, no loser, nor the assurance that there will be a winner at all.
Though the tension is there, there should still be no worry.
No assurances, but think of winning.
Think on who you will move on and when.
When the opening comes, move.

I wait.
Everyday of my life, I am on a Mexican standoff.

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Me, My Mind, and My Multiple Personalities

The Mind
No exact science can really explain it
Freud and Jung and others, in some degree, made some worthwhile observations and theories about it
Many philosophers, did, too
But Science and Philosophy failed to grasp the Mind’s entirety
The Mind is complex
One of God’s many mysteries in Creation
The Human Mind is one of the major things that separate us from animals
It can create
It can destroy
It can be trained to (or can automatically) ignore emotion and pain
The possibilities are endless

Since imagination has no boundaries
My Mind has no boundaries
My Mind is my sanctuary
My Mind is some sort of place
(Hannibal Lecter and Demi Brooke are among the ones who use and think of their minds as such)
A world
The knowledge, memories and concepts I know is stored there
And from this three, shoots off the characteristics of this world
Fictional character and events and stories of mine are here
There are many secret places that even I don’t know of
Things I forget and chose to forget are probably on those secret places
Sub-consciousness, others name that place
In that world, anything goes
There is no boundary between fantasy and fact
Inside are valleys and plains
The Grand Canyon
Rivers
Seas
Forests
Jungles
Extinct animals
Dinosaurs
Monsters
Elves
Mermaids
Fairies
The Waste Lands
Oz
Wonderland
Nirvana
Victorian London
The Wild West
Medieval Europe
Sci-Fi Outer Space
And many more
All rolled into one
Moreover, there is still infinity of places to explore and discover
Since as time passes, new places are made
All human minds are places like mine
They just have to accept that these places exist to enjoy what the worlds can offer

All of us have multiple personalities
The difference of a sane man with schizophrenic is the ability to control, supervise and be in sync with those personalities
I have many ones
And they live in The World Of My Mind

I am the Amalgam
The overseer of the personalities
Simply, known also as the Waking Self
I am the other personalities
I am one with them
At the same time, not them at all
I would be introducing the famous (and infamous) among them

The first personality is the Knight
(Some who know me had theorized of this self and name him Version 1.1)
The romantic
The sentimental
Ready to slay the dragon every time
Always ready to save the damsel in distress
But, take note, though he is with armor and shield
He is the most vulnerable among the personalities

The second personality is the Professor
A cold, logical, analytical machine
Scorns emotions and superstitions
He only sees the facts, and cares only for the facts
Cynicism and arrogance is his worst faults
Spends most of his time at the Libraries and Laboratories of The World Of My Mind
He cares only for knowledge
Never makes uneducated guesses
Always base conclusions in data analyzed
Most of the time he is right
But not always

The third personality is the Musician
If you allow him, he’ll spent the day playing guitar; playing songs like “Hey Jude”, “Evermore”, “Hotel California”, and “Livin’ On A Prayer”
Or listening to Mozart and Beethoven and the other classic masters who are still alive in that World
He does not mind of being alone
Music is the only companion he prefers best

The fourth personality is the Philosopher
He is the counselor of the other personalities
Since he is the one who remind the others what values, principles, thoughts and dictums Bernel believes in – mostly, Christian truths
He, most of the time, does the inspiring of the others
He thinks, unlike the Professor, on things what can be
Philosophy, theology and life are the topics he loves best
And meditation and prayer are his favorite activities

The fifth personality is the Explorer
Since My Mind is limitless, his travels never end
He is not complaining since traveling is his love
His job is to explore the places
Explore the potentials
Takes as much knowledge and adventures as he can
All the personalities, when receiving his reports, find his experiences useful

The sixth personality is the Poet
The laziest among them
With a pen and a notebook, he writes
That is the only thing he does most if the time
Write fiction or nonfiction; any topic
Write
Write
And any residue of his time, he spends reading in the Libraries in there

The seventh personality is the Gunslinger
The hero
And he possess the qualities of a hero
“Epitome of perfection,” as defined in literature
Complete with a cowboy hat, thick boots, two revolvers and gloves to prevent blisters
His hand is quick when he draws a gun from its holster
Fast as lightning
And shoots with excellent marksmanship
Drawing and shooting efficiently, he can do it in less than half a second

The eighth personality is the Assassin
The most dangerous of them all
Since he is a cold-blooded killer
He kills with blades
Throwing knives and two sharp swords
A cloth covers his mouth
Fast and agile – that are his strengths
Thus, he is the most contained personality
To unleash him is unwise

The ninth personality is the Penciler
With a drawing table, a chair, pens and pencils
He draws all day
Unlike the Amalgam, he never loses patience or gets bored
He never colors his drawings
Since, what art he do is best with only pencils and inks

The tenth personality is the Collector
The Collector simply does what he does best: collecting
He collects anything… everything
Literature, DVDs, toys, guitars, guns, antiques, stamps, art, paintings, etc.
It does not matter what
He collects just for the sake of collecting
Because that is his passion

The eleventh personality is the Gourmet
Lover of food and wine
He is not a glutton nor gets drunk
He simply appreciates good tastes
And, yes, he cooks well unlike the Amalgam
Cooking is his next love from eating

The twelfth personality is the Engineer
What he does is create structures and bridges and tools
He is also an inventor
Finding ways to make things easier, or more fun and exciting
If anyone needs any gadget, he has it
He solves mechanical and technical problems
Cars and planes are his hobbies
In free time, he customizes and drives them
He has a constant need for speed, and loves the roar of a machine

The thirteenth personality is the Wizard
Master of magic and skills
He hides his eyes behind sunglasses
His amazing ability is to amaze people
An exhibitionist
He possesses many talents, skills, and knowledge of irrelevant facts
He likes to hides those talents and skills
And then surprise them that he can actually do something very well
His favorite is solving a Rubik’s cube in a few seconds (unlike the Amalgam)
He possess a little both of humility and arrogance

The fourteenth personality is the Jester
Laughing and making others laughs is what he likes to do best
He has knowledge of many humorous anecdotes and jokes
His pride himself of being good at making witty comebacks and comments
He lives on his wits, thus, he treasures it

The fifteenth personality is the Doctor
His compassion is famous everywhere in that World
He helps people
He cares for them
Thus, he has lots of friends
And his friends respect and appreciate him

The sixteenth is the Vampire
He is afraid of direct sunlight since it will kill him
And he is at his peak when it is night
He possess supernatural strength and senses
But is cursed with bloodlust

I will leave you for now with sixteen personalities
Because the popular Sybil Dorsett has the record of sixteen personalities (look it up)
The Knight, the Professor, the Musician, the Philosopher, the Explorer, the Poet, the Gunslinger, the Assassin, the Penciler, the Collector, the Gourmet, the Engineer, the Wizard, the Jester, the Doctor, and the Vampire
Together, they are the Amalgam (and at the same time, separate from the Amalgam)
But are there others in My Mind?
Yes, there are many more personalities since there is an entire World in there
Much much more, and many of those personalities I hadn’t met yet

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