Heroes...

I see how powerful being a positive influence can be… Earlier today I had planned on blogging about who or what I consider a hero might be. I just left a session on the Sabido method presented by Bill Ryerson, President of Population Media Center, and this has only fueled my thoughts much further. I’ll start with my initial thoughts though… I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the “good” in people and specifically heroes and role models and the power of “influence.” This all began with a blog post that I read here Blindfolded , about “Heroes never die…” This was a really intriguing post about heroes and role models in everyday people and the impact it can make on another. This really got me thinking, and it seemed as though things in my everyday life was adding to these thoughts. Morning before work the other day, I turned on the TV and left it on as I was making my morning coffee and there was an infomercial on. There was a guy talking about how much god has helped in through life and about his new book. He proceeded to tell a story about how he had received a lot of guidance from a friend of his, who was then later shot and killed. This influenced his book, and very recently he had received a message from his friend’s family talking about how much the book has helped them through their crisis, not knowing their connection with the author he met with them and explained how much his friend had helped him through his time of crisis. It ended up being a circle of support and his next comment threw me off base… “Isn’t God wonderful?!” This bothered me a little bit. I’m not extremely religious by any means, but I don’t discredit that there is a god, but I couldn’t help but feel as though there wasn’t faith in a person’s ability to do good in another’s life. I have this intense belief that when you put belief in yourself and others it’s truly the people who are doing much of the “good” in this world, and if you have to call that god’s will I guess that is your own prerogative but what I suggest is a little more faith in the capacity of people.

I’ve also just finished “Starwars: Knights of the Old Republic 2,” I know I’m a nerd, but I was honestly surprised about many of the morals expressed through the game. I played as the “Light” or “Good” side of things, where you do have the options of being “bad,” but I found many of the dialog cues and actions represented things that I may say or do in a real situation. Your character has a “shady” past and there is a point where you are asked that if you could have changed what you did in the past would you? One of the replies was something along the lines of “No, those decisions and choices have made me into the person I am today.” I almost laughed at this because I couldn’t help but think “Well that’s a very Wesley thing to say.” A final point from the game rang true to me and have really got me thinking… A big part of your character in the game is the fact that your character can make connections easily with others in the world and that your character easily takes their friend’s pain as their own and gathers strength from others. Of course this was explained in relation to the “Force” and was to the extreme but a big part of the game was to explain that your character wasn’t doing this necessarily through this fictitious force but because you’re a natural leader. This really rang true to me and my thoughts of the relations of leaders and followers in today’s world. I was once told by a friend, professor, and colleague (yes all of that in one person) that I needed to be very careful of my influence on others, because I do this inherently when I talk and present my ideas. I have the possibility to possibly even convince others of my ideas even if they are wrong. This almost made me think a little, and have made me more cautious in a group setting, and just because I get excited about something doesn’t mean that it’s the right path. Anyways some of what this game was saying is really true, what makes a hero? It isn’t the force, it isn’t super natural nuclear abilities, it’s the person and who they truly are.

What makes a hero? I can see it every day, it’s going that extra step for someone, it’s karma, being a role model in someone’s life, and being a little selfless along the way. Heroes, real heroes, aren’t perfect… but that’s ok and that is what makes people whole. It’s ok if they fall or stray from the path, as long as they follow their path and have the ability to learn from this falls to help become a better person. As Bill Ryerson would put it, it’s a person’s “Ego Strength” (a person’s ability to deal with setbacks), and “Ego Drive” (a person’s ability to get over barriers). Perhaps it’s all about inner strength… This inner strength and the ability to drive yourself further may consequently also influence others to do the same.

For example, two up in coming artists just sat down at the same computer pod as me and literally just said “Oh hey, I feel as though we haven’t officially said hi yet… Your kind of someone we admire from a far.” I find comments like these daunting and somewhat scary at times… The idea that I can be someone that others aspire to is scary! I’ve heard comments like these before and it’s always something that resides in the back of my mind… As much as I’m humbled by this, there’s a lot of pressure there and sometimes it’s somewhat lonely feeling as though you have to be the one on top most of the time. Leading is exhausting… sometime everyone has to follow as well… And as much as I may influence others, it’s the thought that I am that encourages me to continue the path I walk. I always found this quote neat,

“I was what others did not want to be. I went where others feared to go and did what others failed to do. I asked nothing from those who gave nothing and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness ....should I fail. I have seen the face of terror, felt the stinging cold of fear; and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments love. I have cried, pained, and hoped... but most of all, I have lived in times others would say were best forgotten.
At least someday, I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was...”

Who have I been? I’ve been and continue to be a great many things =)

OK so some last minute thoughts about the Sabido discussion we had earlier today… This may or may not make sense to those who don’t know the Sabido method and maybe I’ll blog more in depth about what exactly I’m talking about later… The main question I began to think about was “Can players play a transitional character?” I think that’s how players play now in RPGs like Fable, SW KOTOR 1&2, Mass Effect, and even GTA. I think we could develop a system where rather then the game being neutral it would show obvious tendencies towards positive actions and characters, and negative consequences. Mass Effect is a great example of allowing players non-violent solutions and rewarding them for it. I remember that at one point my “Charisma” was so high that I could talk a hostile down out of a fire fight… alleviating me from fighting and coming to a peaceful solution. If we could incorporate an engaging mechanic that allows the user to play their role and commit any actions that they’d like but influence them through negative and positive characters in the game, this could be really effective. We could tie this into the behavior change example that Bill Ryerson showed us… “Pre-contemplation, contemplation, intention/determination, action, and advocacy and maintenance”. Tying these into real life stories and accounts could make this very real for our demographic. Making positive connections in this game could very easily translate into their real life. I’m feeling a lot better about our goals, this is something that could really work through the sabido method. Bill Ryerson also spoke of how our project could have historic implications, and I think I’m beginning to see it:)