**NEW FEATURE: SONG OF THE DAY ADDED TO END OF POST.**

Grace and Peace to you as you travel on the superhighway of information. In gratitude for your reading, I present to you this blessing: “May you find all that you seek and may it bless your soul.”

I wonder if other people struggle with this. . .

I usually find that people can be brokendown into one of two camps at any given time. Compare any two fictional characters (I don’t know if you can make this work with real people), and most if not all people can relate or identify better to one than the other; and in doing so, they can learn a great deal about themselves. For example, are you Luke Skywalker (the idealistic and hopeful believer) or Han Solo (the skeptic with a heart of Gold)? I’m Luke Skywalker. Are you Batman (the dark, anti-heroic deliverer of justice, who is driven by guilt or vengenace) or Superman (the boyscout who does what is right always, out of principle rather than emotion)? I am Batman. Etc. This is a fun and telling activity, and I would encourage anyone to give it a whirl, just to see who you are (at least, in part).

Regardless of whom I believe I can best relate in this exercise, one thing is certain. 7 times out of 10, I find myself wishing I were the other person; and the catch, I believe, is that I never can become the other person by virtue of trying. No matter how much Luke Skywalker tried to be Han Solo, and no matter how much Han Solo tried to be Luke Skywalker, they never could be the other person. The change of oneself in such a way is not possible. Now, given outside forces like defeat, success, change, disaster, or other factors over which one has no control, I believe that one could go from one to the other. Han Solo, given enough interaction with the force, could become Luke Skywalker; and Luke Skywalker, given enough failure and catastrophe, could become Han Solo. In FACT, when one DOES become the other person, the defining traits that one adopts as a result are MORE OBVIOUS. This to me is interesting, primarily because this type of exercise tells me much about myself and gives me the opportunity to embrace those characteristics which I have and accept who I am rather than who I am not.

It’s quite freeing, really, understanding that ONE CANNOT BECOME ANOTHER IN AND OF ONESELF. Indeed, this truth lifts a huge burden off of my shoulders. How fortunate that I will not waste my time trying to be someone I am not. How blessed I am to know myself and have the discernment to embrace and enjoy the true, inherent qualities I actually do possess as opposed to the ones I cannot. This is such a good, good thing.

So, who am I. Well, here’s a dozen of these exercises I am took, and I encourage you to take as well. You’ll be surprised how much you might learn about yourself. For Example, I have learned that I am fairly selfish, afraid of authority, very ambitious, uncool, and passionate. When I want to, I can be a strong leader, and people follow me; but this usually leads to exccessive pride in need of a fall. My obsessive ambition can lead me to do things that are immoral, but for the most part I would like to do the right thing. When I am immoral, I often seek redemption due to my guilt and shame. Now, I know this might look like I am beating myself up, but I’m really not. In fact, ambition, passion, leadership, remorse, drive, focus, talent, and skill are all admirable traits, BUT it’s good to also see the danger in some of my less desirable qualities.

A few items of note before you begin. First, you may not share EVERY characteristic with the individuals with whom you identify, but you will share enough that you can relate to them and hopsefully find the reason why. Also, you will find patterns of characteristics in these individuals that will help you better focus on and identify parts of yourself. Second, if you’re NOT honest with yourself as to WHO YOU ARE as opposed to WHO YOU WANT TO BE, you will get nothing from this exercise but delusions of who you THINK you are. Third, ask an opinion, see if others agree with your assessment. It could be eye-opening.

(NOTE: if you don’t know who these characters are, insert characters you do know when examinning yourself.)

Wolverine (The ultra-cool, live-by-my-own-rules loner) vs. Cyclops (The uptight, uncool, by-the-book leader). From the X-Men.

I AM CYCLOPS

Rocky Balboa (The underdog with a heart of gold in need of a victory) vs. Apollo Creed (The cocky, successful champ in need of a fall). From the Rocky Franchise.

I AM APOLLO CREED

Cobra Commander (The incompetant and laughable commander whose leadership is always in question) vs. Serpentor (The ruler who demands service and respect and gets it). From G.I. Joe

I AM COBRA COMMANDER

Angel (The former villain cursed to feel guilt and seeking redemption as a result) vs. Spike (The former villain who fought for the ability to feel guilt in order to be complete). From the TV Series, Buffy and Angel.

I AM ANGEL

Inigo Montoya (The vengeful man who dedicates his life to nothing but his own dark obsession) vs. Wesley (The lover who fights to reach his true love, not only for himself but for herself as well). From the film, The Princess Bride.

I AM INIGO MONTOYA

Reverend Lovejoy (The hypocrticial, judgmental unloving and selfish “Christian”) vs. Ned Flanders (The True believer who loves and gives, even to his discomfort). From the Simpsons

I AM REVEREND LOVEJOY

Vic Mackey (The play-by-your-own-rules-to-get-it-done-right cop) vs. David Aceveda (The puppet attempting to play the system just to stay afloat captain). From The Shield.

I AM DAVID ACEVEDA

Christian Troy (The haunted, womanizing, good-looking and ultra-cool bachelor who primarily skates by on his looks and charm) vs. Sean McNamara (The incredibly talented but uncool, stressed family man who survives through skill and perseverance despite things falling apart). From Nip/Tuck

I AM SEAN MCNAMARA

Zach Morris (Mr. Popular, always manipulating others and the system for his own benefits) vs. A.C. Slater (The other popular guy who is more of a follower than a leader, doing things he finds questionable because it may benefit him). From Saved by the Bell.

I AM ZACH MORRIS

Edmund Exley (The get-ahead-at-any-cost cop with loyalty only to himself) vs. Bud White (The misunderstood and unappreciated tough guy with a temper but also a good heart). From L.A. Confidential.

I AM ED EXLEY

Spider-man (The friendly neighborhood hero who is driven by guilt and struggles with his call but tries to do right despite the difficulty) vs. The Incredible Hulk (The amoral destroyer who is driven by rage alone). From Marvel Comics!

I AM SPIDER-MAN

Terry Benedict (The by-the-number, heartless and intimidating boss) vs. Danny Ocean (The schemer who pursues what he wants, regardless of who has it). From Ocean’s Eleven

I AM DANIEL OCEAN

So there you have it. If you know me, do you disagree, or do you see why the choices were made and agree with them? Drop me a line or leave a comment, I’d love the feedback!

SONG OF THE DAY: “Human Nature”, from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Check it out on Itunes.