Imitation and Charades

First off, let me make some clarification regarding my post of 6/26. I have received numerous comments regarding imitation between my blog and two others on that date, so, before anyone else comments, let me say this, two of the posts were original, and uninspired by previous posts. My post and this post over at Soliloquy were both inspired by a conversation the two of us had over the telephone on Friday morning, in which the words "This would make a good blog post" were uttered. Neither of us knew the other would post it, and acted on our own without outside inspiration. Any other post on the topic was inspired by the original two postings, hence the duplication.

Now I'll move on to the main topic of this post: Charades. I'm sure that a lot of us are familiar with this game as we've played it from time to time since childhood. Sadly, many people carry on this "game" in their real life. People like to make people believe they are one thing when, in fact, they are not. People in leadership positions are not exempt from this game. I've seen many people in leadership positions, some "Christian" leaders, that have fallen once their mask of deceit has been removed. They'll preach at you and condemn you for doing something that is "immoral" or "sinful", all the while maintaining the mask of perfect sainthood. Then, all of a sudden, BOOM! One slip of the tongue or badly thought out decision, and that mask is shattered, revealing the life of duplicity said leader has been leading. Some examples include the Revs. Jim Bakker and Ted Haggard, and- on a broader spectrum- the Catholic church. My question is this: How are we, as those of the "following" supposed to believe what we are taught is right and wrong if those that are the "teachers" do the exact opposite of what they are supposed to be teaching us. What gives them the right to shove their doctrine and -more often than not- personal beliefs down our throats, when they can't practice what they preach? And people wonder why there is a constant decline in moral standards. When will our leaders' underlying motives reflect what their masks are trying to project?

Charades

"I'm all dressed up in my finest attitude
Pretending I don't care.
Guess I really messed up by trying to be two,
When only one heart can be there.
Why can't I be just what I am,
And [live my life] without any shame?
Why can't [they] see what I am,
Is a costumed fool trapped in a tragic game?

Charades and pretty lies
They hide what's deep inside me.
Charades do disguise
All [that I hide deep] inside me.
Charades! Can't see me,
But can you feel the real me,
The real me behind my charades?

Oh, please don't mind me,
Performing at my hardest
As I paint upon the air.
You won't find me
Cause it's a portrait of the artist
As a man who isn't there.

Charades and pretty lies
They hide what's deep inside me.
Charades do disguise
All [that I hide deep] inside me.
Charades! Can't see me,
But can you feel the real me,
The real me behind my charades?

Can't you feel the real me,
Behind my charades?
Have I lost the real me,
Behind my charades? (Gibson, Caulfield- with words altered by myself to fit the post)

Short and Sweet

Just something short and sweet and to the point. Having just returned home from a weekend trip to visit my parents across the state, I returned to find out that someone was using my blog as a launching pad to attack another friend's blog, and it upset me greatly to realize that I can't trust certain people to act honorably and not stir up trouble. I do not know what the trouble was, nor do I know the extent, but it was not very pleasant news to come home to. I have removed a couple of links from my blog, and once I figure out how to selectively allow people to follow my blog, I will most likely be doing so. It saddens me greatly, but unfortunately, it is something that must be done. Perhaps if I can't do that, I will just recreate my blog and transfer the contents of this blog to the new one, and only give the information to certain people so that the events of this weekend will not be repeated. I am off to bed now. Good night

THERE... ARE... FOUR... LIGHTS!!!

Peer pressure: this is such a wonderful term, is it not, especially when it is used to coerce one into bowing to the "will of the pack" or getting one to believe the pack mentality. It is a useful, albiet (more often than not) unethical tool used by many to get others to bow to their will. This "do as I say or else" mentality is pervasive everywhere you look and, sadly, it seems that even the most "ethical" of people are not above stooping to these tactics of mental torture in order to get what they want. Even the strongest of people sometimes buckle beneath the will of the torturer, if the torture goes on long enough. Take, for example, Jean-Luc Picard (Yes, another Star Trek reference.) In the episode shown above (Chain of Command, Part II), he is captured and tortured by the Cardassians in order to gain information on an invasion Picard has no knowledge about. When he truthfully disavows any knowledge of the invasion, he is constantly tortured by his captor in hopes of getting him to break. "How many lights do you see?", his captor constantly asks him, trying to get him to admit that there are five lights, when in fact, there are only four. When Picard answers truthfully that there are only four lights, he is shocked for his insolence and told he is a fool. This continues until, near his breaking point, he is offered a life of confort (if he answers that there are FIVE lights) or a life of endless torture if he continues to defy his captor. Picard is about to give his final answer when guards enter the room and tell him he is free to go, when he stands, turns to face his captor, and says quite vehemently "THERE... ARE... FOUR... LIGHTS!, and walks out the door. However, once back upon the Enterprise, he admits that, at the end, when faced with the options, he could actually believe that there were FIVE lights. However, he persisted in his will, despite the potential consequences.

I am like Picard a lot in that aspect. I do not bow easily to the will of the pack, especially when I feel that will goes against my own principles. Oftentimes, people try to bully me into seeing things their way (which incidentally doesn't work) or resort to the "do things my way or else" tactic, which works in their favor even less, because, more often than not, I choose the "or else" path, regardless of the consequences. I have told people quite often (especially lately) that I think for myself. I make my own decisions, and have my own will. Other people rarely have any influence on what I decide, and I think to a point, they resent me for that fact. If I feel something needs to be said, I'll say it, as diplomatically as the situation permits. But regardless, I will not bend to anyone's will when I feel they are wrong. To these people, I say "THERE ARE ***FOUR*** LIGHTS!"

Make It So: Jean-Luc Picard- A Lesson in Leadership

It annoys me to no end when I make suggestions on how to improve leadership, and people treat me like I know nothing of what I am talking about and then proceed to either ignore me or try to silence me. For starters, I will clear up any misconceptions that ANYONE has regarding my knowledge or experiences in leadership responsibilities.

1) I have been a "Chapter Commanding Officer" of various Star Trek fan organizations for the past fifteen years. I have organized, and LED people in various activities on the local level, as well as on the international level (Yes, at one point, I even took the reigns of the parent organization for a brief time) and had to LEAD and deal with a LOT of people.

2)Aside from that, I have also taken up various responsibilities at other organizational levels, including handling diplomatic relations with other clubs and organizations, and holding LEADING positions in the clubs' various branches. Therefore, I would say I have plenty of experience (if three years is considered "experienced", then I guess I'm "over-experienced".)

With that being said, I hope people will not be so quick to brush me aside as an "inexperienced upstart" who "knows nothing about what he is talking about."

Now on to the topic of this post: Who did I look to for leadership lessons? The answer is Jean-Luc Picard. Granted, he is a fictional character, but I firmly believe that the writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation, or any other incarnation of Star Trek had to do some research into leadership roles in order to make the show and the plot believable. Jean-Luc Picard was the prime example of a leader. He was always motivated to get the job done, no matter what it took. He was a leader, a diplomat, and probably most importantly fair and respectable to all of those under his command. He rarely faltered, and when he did, he would re-evaluate the situation and correct his mistakes before they led to disaster. He never charged blindly into any situation, nor did he procrastinate when action needed to be taken. He also knew how to properly delegate responsibilities to the appropriate members of his crew in order to get the job done, and done right. The end result was a ship that ran smoothly with little or no conflict or problems of any kind. I looked to Captain Jean-Luc Picard for inspiration whenever a decision had to be made. If conflict arose, I learned to deal with it as diplomatically as possible in order to resolve the issue with the utmost expedience and success. I also learned that different people have different leadership styles, and while no one style is necessarily wrong, some leadership styles are better than others. Using what I've learned, I was able to keep my own "crew" intact, despite differences, for many years (and I continue to do so).

In closing, I highly suggest Make It So: Leadership Lessons From Star Trek, The Next Generation to anyone in any type of leadership position (and it was a church pastor that recommended it to me) as a tool to hone leadership skills. MAKE IT SO!

A Quiet Attack of Nothingness (Copied from Matthew West's "Motions" Newsletter)

The Quiet Attack of Nothingness

The extremes of life seem to be when we draw closest to God. When I'm facing an intense trial or a difficult time in my life, I seem to crank up the prayers a lot more often. And on the other side of the extreme, when I've just experienced something amazing, like the birth of my two little girls, my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude, and I can't stop praising God for His blessings in my life.

But what happens between the extremes of life? We spend the bulk of our lives somewhere between the valley and the mountain, living in sort of a middle ground. There's a comfort in the middle ground that can lull a heart to sleep. I believe it is one of the quiet ways the Devil attacks God's people. The longer you live in the middle ground, there is a tendency to feel like you've got a pretty good grip on everything, and there seems to be less of a reason to draw close to God. Before we know it, we've drifted farther away from a passionate faith, and into dangerous territory if one of those extremes of life should occur.

You see, how we handle the middle ground determines the strength of our faith when we do face the extremes of life. If you find yourself in the middle of nothingness this week, press on in your faith with all your heart. Thank God for bringing you this far, and ask Him what he wants to show you during this season.



"Come near to God, and He will come near to you. (James 4:8)"



-mw

It's going to happen... It will happen, but nobody cares.

How to begin this one, I am not certain, but I feel moved to write. Perhaps the lyrics posted below will convey the message effectively, or perhaps people will continue living in ignorance. After all, ignorance is bliss, is it not?

"The rock is gonna fall on us, he woke with a start
And he ran to his mother, the fear dark in his heart
And he told her of the vision that he was sure he'd seen
She said: 'Go back to sleep son, you're having a bad dream!'

Silly child--
Everybody knows the rock leans over the town
Everybody knows that it won't tumble to the ground
Remember Chicken Little said the sky was falling down
Well nothing ever came of that, the world still whirls around

'The rock is gonna fall on us,' he stood and told the class
The professor put his chalk down and peered out through his glasses
But he went on and said; 'I've seen it, high up on the hill
If it doesn't fall this year then very soon it will!'

Crazy boy--
Everybody knows the rock leans over the town
Everybody knows that it won't tumble to the ground
We've more important studies than your fantasies and fears
You know that rock's been perched up there for a hundred thousand years

'The rock is gonna fall on us.' He told the magistrates
'I believe that we can stop it but the time is getting late
You see I've done all the research my plans are all complete.'
He was showing them contingencies when they showed him to the street

Just a madman--
Everybody knows the rock leans over the town
Everybody knows that it won't tumble to the ground
Everybody knows of those who say the end is near
Everybody knows that life goes on as usual round here

He went up on the mountain beside the giant stone
They knew he was insane so they left him all alone
He'd given up enlisting help for there was no one else
He spent his days devising ways to stop the rock himself
One night while he was working building braces on the ledge
The ground began to rumble the rock trembled off the edge

'The rock is gonna fall on us! Run or you'll all be crushed!'
And indeed the rock was moving, crumbling all to dust
He ran under it with one last hope that he could add a prop
And as he disappeared the rock came to a stop

The people ran into the street but by then all was still
The rock seemed where it always was or where it always will be
When someone asked where he had gone they said: 'Oh he was daft.
Who cares about that crazy fool.' And then they'd start to laugh

But high up on the mountain
When the wind is hitting it
If you're watching very closely
The rock slips a little bit." (Chapin)

When the world and I were young, just yesterday...

Seems like only yesterday when everything in life was so simple. I knew who to trust and who was not worthy of my trust. I knew who my true friends were, and which people were only fair weather friends, who would stab you in the back at the first opportunity they got. Now it isn't so simple, Black and white all blend into grey, and I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to trust people. For example, I'll tell someone something in confidence, only to have them twist my words to their own advantage and use them against me. Face it, life sucks rotten eggs. People suck rotten eggs. And well, just about everything sucks rotten eggs. Sometimes, I wish I could hole myself up in a cave and just shut everything out. Maybe I'd be better off.

"When the world and I were young, just yesterday
Life was such a simple game a child could play

It was easy then to tell right from wrong
Easy then to tell weak from strong
When a man should stand and fight
Or just go along

But today, there is no day or night
Today, there is no dark or light
Today, there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

I remember when the answer seemed so clear
We had never lived with doubt, or tasted fear

It was easy then to tell truth from lies
Selling out from compromise
Who to love and who to hate
The foolish from the wise

But today, there is no day or night
Today, there is no dark or light
Today, there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care

But today, there is no day or night
Today, there is no dark or light
Today, there is no black or white
Only shades of gray
Only shades of gray..." (Mann, Weil)

Censorship: How much is too much?

Censorship is a hot issue when it's brought up, and there are many differing viewpoints on when censorship is justified, and when it is not. I personally only support it if it's slanderous or potentially destructive of a specific person, or group of people, and am completely against people censoring others just because their viewpoint on a certain matter is completely opposite from their own megalomaniacal viewpoints. Also, I can somewhat see the justification in censoring people on a site, in a publication, etc which one owns, runs and maintains. However, telling someone to remove something like a blog post on their own blog, website, etc. just because, for example, "he said mean things about me" is pushing it too far. Again, megalomaniacal behavior. If the material in question was just personal thoughts and feelings one has regarding a certain individual or group of individuals, then the person has every right to say and post what he feels. If it goes beyond that, to where he is publicly plotting to do serious harm to another or his property, then it's a different story. I believe I've said my piece here, and will not remove this post or any of my posts at the request of anyone else.

Midsummer, Flame Warden, and killing Horde

So, it is now Midsummer, and players are running all over Azeroth honoring the bonfires of their faction, desecrating those of the opposing faction, and attempting to steal the fires from the opposing faction's cities. There are other things to do, such as throwing and juggling torches, dancing around the ribbon-poles, killing special bosses such as Ahune, the Frost Lord and his lieutenants, and quests to gain fire blossoms that can be used to purchase special event food, items, and pets. After running around on my lower level mage for the early part of the afternoon to get her leveled to 40, I jumped onto Llaihr and immediately set about doing the quests and visiting the various fires stationed throughout the world (I still have to visit those in Northrend, which I will do this evening), making the mad dash through the various horde cities to steal their flames, and running through the Slave Pens to take down Ahune (once on Heroic, and five times on normal mode). It was a long and tedious journey which took me until roughly 2am, but I completed all the required achievements and got the title Flame Warden along with the nifty gear that goes along with it. I then proceeded to help my friend Riannah get the Horde city flames for her achievement. All in all, it was a rather productive day.

Also, the Midsummer Fire Festival brings with it the thrill and risk of PvP gameplay. One of the achievements requires the player to go to the various fires of the opposing faction and desecrate, or put them out. Doing this automatically flags a player for PVP for five minutes, and during that five minutes, that player is basically fair game to any player of the opposing faction. Now usually, I will let the lower levels go and not kill them as they are really no threat to me, but if they do stupid and assinine things that say "hey, hit me. I'm a target", I will kill them just to teach them a lesson. Case in point, I had just finished desecrating the Horde fire in Swamp of Sorrows, and got ganked by a couple of (three) higher levels, with a level 37 hunter "helping" them out. I, of course, was outnumbered, and got killed, so went about finding my corpse and resurrecting myself. I fed myself and got back to full health and continued down the road to Darkshire and the Alliance fire there. Halfway down the road (I was still flagged at this point), I encountered the level 37 hunter again, and this player was cocky enough to run around me doing what I term "the chicken dance", flapping arms and clucking like a chicken- something that I took as an obvious taunt. As I stated above, I considered this to be assinine, and obviously STUPID behavior on his part, and turned around and one-shotted him there on the spot. Lesson taught, I moved on. Not a minute later, someone from my own guild, a kid, logs on and starts yelling at me, calling me a jerk in guild chat (and other choice words in whispers) because I killed his hunter. This started a long debate about the merits of killing Horde when they're flagged, and such. ("fun" discussion that was). There were those who thought I was cruel for killing a toon half my experience level, and others who supported me saying that he deserved what he got. The player in question demanded my apology, to which I said in private whisper "I'm sorry that you feel I was wrong in killing you, but I don't feel the need to apologize for the action" and left it at that.

Now the questions I posed were as follows:
1) How was I to know (without prior knowledge) that said toon belonged to a fellow guild member?

There is no way to tell, so hence, player gets the same treatment as any other "unknown" Horde. (Yes, I tend to give known Horde toons of friends and fellow guild members some leeway when I encounter them, unless it's in a battleground where all rules of diplomacy do not apply.

2) With question #1 in mind, why did the player in question do something that would ultimately lead to him getting killed, other than to be stupid?

I guess he's the only one that can answer that question

3) Did I owe him an apology?

Again, I don't believe I did, as I killed him once for doing something stupid and moved on. There are players out there who would camp the players corpse and kill him everytime he resurrected. I am not that cruel or vindictive.