Real Life Superhero Community VS. Costumed Charity Movement

I kind of feel like this will be the most controversial thing that will ever be in any of my blogs. More than my political rants, more than my religious rants, more than all of that.

But these thoughts and feelings have been building up for years. And as well as through observations, experience, interactions, studying, theories, all put together, this is what I've come up with, at least as of now.

I don't think a lot of people will like what I have to say. But I also know that a lot of people will like what I have to say. Either way, neither changes my thoughts and feelings on this. And I feel that this is very important for the sake of preserving something that is important to me. And that is the Superhero Community consisting of actual Superheroes, instead of Costumed Charity Movement people.

Superheroes DO NOT wear "costumes". Costumes are for trick or treaters, and actors. They are something people wear when they are pretending to be something they're not. In our self-chosen identities (unless we were given our own individual aliases, nonetheless we have a choice to use them) we ARE these people. We're not pretending. We're not doing this for fun. We're doing it because it is who we see ourselves as or at least a part of who we are, and we're doing what has to be done. And our uniforms and suits aren't worn for image. Self-expression, yes. But functionality is more important. Using the C-word to refer to what a Superhero wears is actually an insult.

And it's not up to me or anyone but the individual to decide what their uniform means. But there is something I notice that there's a well-believed false theory that doesn't work in practice. There's a belief that some individuals tell themselves, that wearing their uniforms will help draw attention to a cause. But in reality it doesn't. It draws much more attention to the individual. There's also a misconception that bragging about good deeds will inspire more people to do it. Nope. Just makes you look self-righteous. Let those that are helped brag about those who did good, but let not the individual brag of their own deeds.

In the Holy Bible, In Matthew 6:1 it says:

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven."

If God sees you bragging about that, to Him, He sees that as you rewarding yourself through bragging, therefore need no help from Him.

Plus, in the minds of others, if you need to dress up like a superhero in order to do some form of charity, then people are going to think "Well, that's cool. I would like to do some charity. But I don't want to go through the trouble of creating a superhero identity just to do it. So, I guess I won't be doing any charity then." I believe that it's better for everyone to know that they could at least do a little something. Even if it's just the smallest little deed. If everyone did a little good deed regularly, it would all add up to make the world a better place. Even more than a few CCM people doing it once a week or month.

Don't overglorify simple deeds as great acts of heroism. It's not a quick easy way of showing the world that superheroes exist. It's showing the world that superheroes CAN'T exist. It's not what you wear nor call yourself that shows the world superheroes exist. It's something magical that goes beyond what simple words can explain. It's easier for one to show you what a superhero is, than for me to explain what one is. But if I were to try to explain it. There are 2 aspects of it. One aspect has to do with saving lives, the other has to do with fighting evil.

"But Tothian, I thought being a superhero was about helping people."

Every job in the world "helps" people in some way. That doesn't make everyone a superhero. Because if everyone was a superhero, then nobody would be. Because then superpowers wouldn't be superpowers, they'd be like a form of evolution. And heroism wouldn't be heroism anymore, it would be common decency. Idealistic, yes. But as a world we're not there yet so we shouldn't pretend like we are.

"But Tothian, feeding a homeless person is saving someone's life for a day."

You got that right! And I give credit to anyone who does help someone in need. I don't want this to give the impression that I'm against people helping people in need. But why use the image of a Superhero to do something that Superheroes were never known for doing? And for a reason. Help people yes. There are plenty of people in the world who need help. But don't give the impression that common decency should be considered a superpower, nor a great act of heroism. I don't care how messed up you think society is. It's just not right.

The uniform or suit or what ever it is you wear tells people that you in some way are qualified to do what you do. That doesn't necessarily mean some kind of unrealistic superpower, (realistic superpowers are possible), but at least some kind of skill, ability, training, experience that helps you in some way. Like for example, someone with Lifeguard Training, or First Aid Training, Martial Arts, and/or knowledgeable in some skill area.

Contrary to the perception it's possible some readers of this will have at this point, I don't intend to tell you how to do things if you wish to do things a certain way. But I feel that my thoughts are something that is very necessary to give. Not a matter of what I say Do or Don't Do. But rather a matter of "How I see it To Be and how I see it To Not Be". Do it the way you feel is right.

But one thing that saddens me is people coming in, expecting to fight crime, then figure out a way to do it that seems easier, and appears to help more people, and makes them more friends in the Real Life Superhero Community, so some of them just end up sticking to charity instead. They let others change who they are and what their reasons for doing this is.

I believe that Superheroes can and do exist. The crime fighters and those who patrol the dangerous streets looking to fight evil and protect people, they are the true superheroes who are the heart and soul of it all. They are what started it all and will do what needs to be done. (In the Military, the Infantry are the ones who are respected the most. Without them, the Military wouldn't be what it is.) I've been at this thing my entire life. For years I'd felt alone at this. I felt like I'd be the only one who would be doing this and that I'd forever feel out of place in this world because of that. It's really sad when you grew up finding yourself relating to fictional characters more than real people. Then once I found others like myself, the world felt right for once. But over time I saw things change. The overall idea had been shifted in a different direction unlike what I'd expected, and not in a good way. My hope is to peacefully shift things back in the right direction. Because even though a lot of people would go in a certain direction, something never felt right to them and I don't know if even they knew what it was. But I was able to see it. I've been able to see the problem and the solution.

"But Tothian, if I help a homeless person, they consider me a superhero."

Oh are we still at this "But Tothian," crap? LOL! Alright fine. Think about how you could be embarassing these people by drawing attention to them. YES a lot of them get ignored by society a lot and love to talk to people and go on long rants and not feel ignored, but rather to feel like they too matter. Different people will perceive you differently. Different people will react differently, as well as feel differently. A lot of them will be too nice to criticize someone who is helping them. But please remember to put their needs above your's.

I understand we all have our reasons for doing things. With advantages comes disadvantages. I've got my reasons as well, as well as my own sets of Pro's and Con's. There's plenty of logic which can be debated. But admittedly - at the risk of sounding self-centered and egotistic - I speak from experience. I don't claim to know everything but this is my life. This is my passion. This is my reason for living. Just about everything I study, is because I feel in some way it will help me as Tothian, to do what I was born to do.

And I'm not trying to tell people what to do or not do. You have the right to make your own decisions. But so can I. And right now I'm making the choice to give my advice for all who wish to read it here. I know what I'm doing and have a reason for saying this. The Warrior Spirit needs to be kept alive, and with great passion and enthusiasm, in order for The Spirit of Camaraderie to exist within the Real Life Superhero Community.

Oh yes - and we're not a Movement. We're a Community. To find more of us, check out the Heroes Network Listing, and check out the Heroes Network Portal over on the Heroes Network Forum!

There is just "God", regardless of your choice.

There is something weird that I see. It contradicts the truth I know of. When people talk about God as if He's just someone they choose to be their God or something stupid like that. As if they could choose who created them. There is no "my God" versus "your God" nor "his God" nor "her God" - there's just God. The one who created all things.

I'm in this world but I'm not of this world. Religions are created of this world, because there's some kind of confusion where they came from and where they're going. And what their reason is for being.

We chose this life. It was spiritual traits such as love that led us to the self-sacrificial decision that brought us to Earth to make life better for others in the name of God. God gives us interests that lead to skills that lead us on the purpose He set us on. We did this for Him. We don't fully remember all of it, nor do we remember Him in all His full glory. We have to rely on faith because blessed are those who believe without any physical proof.

The knowledge I have is written in to my spirit. Things I've known my entire life before I was ever even taught anything about God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Bible, Religion, etc. - there are other things from the other side that I have knowledge of, have witnessed in dreams and also have some fragmented memories attached to emotions that go with them, things I cannot even begin to explain the full awesomeness of it in earthly human words. But if I try to explain that then it will take me longer than the rest of my life and I won't even have begun to scratch even a small fraction of the surface.

God is not a choice. He's a blessing. People can claim to choose who their parents are, in title only, but in actuality your creators are who they are, more in the same sense of how you can NOT change who your Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandparents are. "Oh but I get to choose who my family is." You get to choose who you spend your time around and communicate with and such in this life. But we can't choose who we truly are, nor where we came from. Nor can we change the fact that we're here for a reason. We're here because our presence is needed in some way.

We shouldn't judge these days by the harvest we reap. But rather by the seeds that we sew. The harvest will take care of itself. Our actions matter. We can choose what we do for the most part, but we can't always choose what happens from it all the time.

And be humble. Everything good we have in this world, we have because of God. Every skill, ability, we are given from God. Every good trait. God can give you more. But you must bless Him by blessing those he sends you to bless. Forgive others. Not an easy task. And even harder to ever regain trust. And it doesn't even necessarily mean to let people in to your life who wish to make your life worse or drag you down with negativity or attempt to lead you away from God. But forgiveness is like releasing a hot coal, holding on to it and you're the one who gets burnt by it. It lets God know you are worthy of His forgiveness when you ask it. Do not wish bad things upon people if you can help it. Put your faith and trust in God.

And God bless you for reading this!

Superheroes ARE Real!

I hear these misconceptions that people believe, that Superheroes only exist in fiction. And that that's why some Real Life Superheroes feel obligated to have to put "Real Life" before their titles, because doing so is what they believe separates it from a Fictional Superhero.

And granted that it is true that what is a Real Life Superhero can mean something different to each person. And granted an official definition classifies it as "A benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman." - and that definition isn't wrong, but it's not complete. Who ever wrote it was a person who didn't look at the whole forest, and rather just a tree, so to speak. That person was just a person, as am I. And when I look at the different words involved, and their meanings, I have concluded that the term "Superhero" can apply to real life. It doesn't even need the "real life" to be what means it's real. Superheroes, to put it simply, ARE real.

There will be people who say stuff like "Superheroes are just Heroes with superpowers, and thus, that makes it fictional." - in fiction, what it has been popularized as by writers, yes. Those writers are real people, with real ideas, just overexaggerating the superpowers of the Superheroes for the sake of entertainment and inspiration. And if their only definition was "Heroes with superpowers" then their title would instead be "Superpowered Heroes".

When you look at the difference between a Model and a Supermodel, a Supermodel isn't a Model with Superpowers.

The word "Super" often refers to being above and beyond in skill, quality, or ability. And the word "Power" means the ability to do something. So, technically some of the strongest, toughest, fastest, smartest people in the world could technically be considered to have Superpowers. And then there's also the possibility of the existence of psychic powers, and other magical abilities, if you believe in that sort of thing - as for me I do - and for very good reasons too.

And then you have those who are Heroes, and that they're very good at what they do - like the U.S. Marines and other Special Forces Units and such. Some of them have even been labelled by the media as Real Life Superheroes. But obviously, from what I'm telling you, the "Real Life" goes without saying. It's not part of the title, it's just the description of the title.

Superheroes have been popularized in fiction for decades now. Superheroes in real life have existed for some decades too, but haven't been brought as closely in to the mainstream until recent years. So of course, to distinguish the difference until people get used to it, some will say "Real Life" before "Superhero", until people get the hang of it.

Most people will agree on a general idea on WHAT a Hero/Superhero is or isn't - but will more often than not disagree on WHO is or isn't a Hero/Superhero.

I personally don't believe everyone can be a Hero nor a Superhero. Because if everyone was one, then nobody would be. Everyone would have those skills, everyone would have those ideals and do those great things, and what was once super would be regular and who were heroes would just be regular people. So, it would then just be considered being a regular person. However, not everyone chooses that. Not many people believe it's even possible. JUST because they saw it in fiction they assume it can't be done in real life.

The thing is, that you can choose to do heroic things. You can train your skills in areas that will help you as a superhero. Go above and beyond the call of duty in both your training/studying AND in your actions. It's possible. And even if it weren't, Superheroes were never the kind of people who do things because it's possible. They're ready to redefine what is possible by going against the odds for the sake of protecting people, and fighting evil, and saving the world, because it's needed.

To network with others who want to protect people, save lives, fight evil, make the world a safer place, come join us here:

Heroes Network

Communication; Heroism & Leadership; Leadership VS. Politics; Trial & Error

So, what would a socially awkward person such as myself know about communication? Well, let's just say trial and error can be a good teacher.

True Heroism can't so accurately be described as one form of stereotype, but rather consisting of people from countless stereotypes who do some form of good or at least try to. I also strongly believe that True Leadership often coincides with True Heroism. Both involve working for the best interest of others, and often require many of the same traits, and sometimes similar types of actions. In order to be a Leader, it's not so much making people follow you, as much as it means making people want to follow you, not just because of meaningless things such as image/fame/popularity, but because you're someone who they've grown to know, trust, you've helped them not just be better followers but rather helped them grow to become Leaders themselves. Sometimes Heroism involves sacrifice. In a worst case scenario, it could mean dying to save someone else. In less extreme examples, it could also mean sacrificing our own reputations for the sake of defending another's.

In my mind, I think of the difference between a Community and a Movement. In a Community, I think of people who all communicate, share some form of ideal, and aren't very organized, rather just allowed to be their own individual selves. When one messes up, their fellow Community members are quick to defend them, even if they look bad doing so. In a Movement, I think of people who all come together for a similar goal, and are a bit more organized, and when someone does something wrong, they're quick to outcast that person for the sake of their own reputation. That's why I always tell people that the Real Life Superhero Community is NOT a Movement. It's A Community. It works better that way, leaves more room for individuality, diversity, and acceptance of & friendship with people who aren't exactly like us.

Which one would you tend to trust more and be a part of? Obviously both ideas have their merits, but honestly I'd tend to favor a Community over a Movement. And I'd tend to trust a Leader a LOT more if I knew that they wouldn't turn against me just because I did something wrong or they heard a rumor or whatever. And one thing that's a bad trait in a Leader is when they openly humiliate someone who they were a Leader of. No wise person could ever fully trust a Leader like that. The best kind of Leader will openly defend their people whether their people are right or wrong, but privately be honest with them about the mistakes they make. It's also very important to not come off as accusing, because that's not constructive. That's harmful. Leadership is meant to be constructive, so therefore make yourself useful by doing all that you can to fix problems.

Two aspects of Leadership to put it simply are Teaching and Managing. First, when it comes to teaching, it doesn't matter if anyone else has much prior knowledge. A good teacher is wise enough to challenge their own individual selves to think simple, and teach someone even if it's not easy to do so, even if they're not at the same levels, so to speak. Then, the Managing, involves missions. That often requires finding the right people with the right kind of experience that will help you accomplish your mission. As a Leader, it's good to balance out both the Teacher and Manager aspects, and not to become too much of one and not enough of the other. Simply understand that as a Leader, while you'll have your own style, and that's very important, it's also good to know each person and understand what kind of Teacher and/or Manager will help you best help this person at accomplishing what they need to do, whether it be learning - and/or teaching others themselves, and/or also there's the part that involves them doing what they need to do, whether that's doing the mission themself or them leading others to accomplish what they need to do.

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." -Ralph Nader

Communication is very important when it comes to leadership. And having a level of consistency is vital to communication. Broken Windows Theory. The more you communicate, on both a professional and social level, the better you'll work together, and the more camaraderie there will be.

I'd like to talk about some mistakes I've made in the past, and what I learned from them. I don't want to give out names so I'll just say Person 1 and Person 2.

In the example with Person 1, they did something that I didn't think was so smart. I sent this person a very rude messaging, although at the time saying what I felt needed to be said, and was even very harsh on a personal level.

Person 1 replied back to me, was very friendly and respectful to me, admitting that what they did was wrong, and that I was right. They were also joking about themselves about what I was making fun of them about. I realized that this person was awesome, and it made me feel guilty to being rude to this person. I had instantly gained a ton of respect for this person.

In the example with Person 2, there was a brief meeting and I had made the mistake of unknowingly being a bit rude by being very talkative, simply adding my thoughts on something, and taking up a lot of the time where that person was supposed to be the one doing most of the talking. I do tend to think deep thoughts and feel very strongly about giving my opinions to people. I had no idea that this person also had a lot of stuff that they wanted to talk about too. Then this person, who I'd not really had any previous problems with before, was very rude to me, even after I politely stated that I was wrong, and I apologize, and also want no problems with that person. I spoke to this person privately, who acted like everything was cool. Then this person almost immediately afterward starts openly bashing me. I again stated I didn't want any problems with this person, because I knew I'd made a mistake. Oh well. I admitted it, apologized, time to get over it. That didn't stop this person from openly bashing me. We almost immediately afterwards lost contact. But, after the way the person replied to me even after I tried to fix the problem, it made it a lot harder for me to feel guilty about it. Because a part of me realized: Well, if that person thought so negatively of me, then actually I must've done something right by talking over them. It's unfortunate that I have to think like that about the situation, but it's how I honestly feel about that. That person justified my mistake by bashing me for it, rather than realizing that if they were respectful to me, that it would've made me realize that I'd made a mistake, and then possibly do what I could to make up for it.

In the Bible, in Luke 6:37 it says:
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

In Matthew 7:1-5 it says:

"7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Do not be afraid to become Leaders. Do not think as if being a Leader means being better than everyone else. Because in True Leadership, a true leader must humble themselves, to serve those that they wish to lead. Leadership isn't about being someone. It's about doing something. How can you do something constructive? How can you make the world a better place? What sort of problems do you see? Be it with the world, or even something as simple as a problem existing in your circle of friends. It's never good to be a neutral party when it comes to mutual friends having a dispute. I do consider it to be a selfish trait, because if you care about these people, do not put yourself above their problems. Put their problems above your self and seek to do your part to fix it.

"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." -John C. Maxwell

Friendship is also a vital aspect of both Heroism and Leadership. Be a friend to those in need. It's more heroic to be hated just for being someone's friend, than it is to be loved just for being someone's enemy. Please do not falsely link popularity with heroism. Yes it's possible for a hero to be popular. But that's just simply a bonus, not an ingredient. Sometimes you'll be hated for doing the right thing. And sometimes you can be loved for doing the wrong thing.

I'm very deeply interested in and fascinated with politics. I don't know everything about politics. But, there are things I do know and read about. Like who the politicians and candidates are, what their experience is, and what their ideas are, and what they hope to accomplish and who they want to be. And one thing I've observed from politicians is that their success is based on building their own reputation by destroying the reputation of another person. Fake smiles, and making someone else look bad and ruin their life the best you can while smiling in front of the crowds, and seeing what you can gain from it. And oh don't even get me started on primary elections. Spending months bashing another person about why they're not good enough to be in that office, but then when that person wins the nomination, they spend a few months explaining why voting for that person is the most important thing in the world. Or if they're the winner themselves, they honestly expect the genuine support of the people they've bashed before. My advice is to speak from the heart, and stick to what you believe. Do not let opportunity alter your beliefs.

There are some Politicians who are known for their heroism. George Washington and his heroism in the Revolution. Abraham Lincoln and his heroism during the Civil War. Ronald Reagan decades before his Presidency saved 77 lives in 7 years he spent as a Lifeguard. I hope for a day when a lot more Politicians learn to become more heroic to the level of our U.S. Military, Doctors, Police, Firefighters, anyone whose job involves protecting people and saving lives. I envision a day when politicians being honest and genuine heroes becomes as mainstream as those other occupations I listed. And while tragedies do tend to bring people together, the truth is that it shouldn't require one just to bring people together.

Sometimes bad leaders are the most successful kind. 2 reasons:

1- Just as the best teachers can teach their students to be even smarter than themselves, the wisest and most genuine leaders hope for those they lead to grow to become even better leaders than even themselves. Although the first Leader in reference will not always be remembered for being as skilled or accomplished, they will be remembered as being an important part of the story of life, helping mold future generations of leaders to be even better than their own selves. The idea is to promote continuous progress.

2- Sometimes, bad leaders teach their followers how NOT to act, when those followers become leaders themselves. And that they'll make mistakes that will more resonate in their mind and in their emotions, to be that much more passionate about not wanting to make those same mistakes themselves.

Good, effective leadership is really a balance of strategy and ethics. Strategy is knowing what to do and how to do it effectively. Ethics is knowing what is alright to do and what isn't alright to do. Now with that being said, the rest is up to you, the reader, to take advantage of all that I'm willing to teach. Seek to become smarter than me. Seek to do more than I've done. Seek to be better than me, while at the same time not pretending to be perfect, because none of us are perfect but we all still want to do good in the world. And then train the next generation to be better than you, more effective than you, and so on.

Don't wait until someone dies...

Don't wait until someone dies in order to say something nice about them. There are likely some people you know that are either your enemies or former friends or even people you are friends with now but don't talk to very often.

Don't wait until they die in order to say something nice about them, and then think you're honoring them and their friends and families by saying that. That's actually a huge insult both to all of them and to your own self. Being two-faced is dishonoring who you are. And lying to them or waiting until the person dies in order to say something nice is an insult because why should it have to take someone dying in order for you to say something nice to them? Why couldn't you say it while they were still alive?

I'm not saying you have to say mean things about a person after they die because obviously that's a whole different kind of not cool, in the opposite way of the point I'm trying to make here. Because in that situation they can't defend themselves.

What I mean, is take a look at the people who you know that are still alive. And find some way to show them some form of honor and respect now, today, while it can still mean something to them. Because if they aren't alive to see it, what should it matter to them how many nice words you say about them? They'll never get to rejoice in what you could've said. It's always a great feeling when an enemy becomes a friend, especially if the enemy had previously been a friend of your's.

And if you still want to dislike someone and not show them any form of honor and respect, then don't show it to them after they die. Because who they were while they were alive is no different now that they're not alive anymore. If you really respect a person, show it to them while they're still alive and if you really respect them you will respect them for who they are, and that includes both their good and their bad traits, and whether they're alive or dead.

The meaning of "Tothian"

So many people have asked me over the years what my name means. It isn't anything that defines me. I define my name, rather than it define me. My whole life before I got the name, I knew that there was a name in my head that I was meant to be known as. It always felt like a song I once heard but couldn't even remember the tune nor the lyrics. Then one day it came to me and it instantly clicked and flashed and I saw a vision of myself some years in the future in one of my then-future Tothian suits. While it is meant to sound like a Medieval Warrior or Jedi Knight, that's just the feel of it rather than a description.

I'm a Warrior and a Protector born on a very important mission to destroy evil and save the world. I'm also on a mission to help the real superheroes and remain a thorn at the side of supervillains and fake superheroes. My name is Tothian, and I destroy evil.

There is no such thing as a Hero quitting nor retiring

This isn't intended for me to speak for you as if I knew all of your own personal situations in your lives. There could be things that some of you are not saying for your own personal reasons, and I can understand that.

But, heroism isn't a job. (Some will argue that the military, firefighters, doctors, etc. are - and yes that is true - but even then it's not the job itself it's the individuals doing it) It's something we do because we're needed to do it. The world needs heroes. The goals and mission can change in accordance with what we can do and feel drawn to do, but the world will always need heroes in one way or another.

Since I was born and have always known that I was drawn to do this, I had long hoped for there to be others. Then after several long years of feeling out of place in this world, it all slowly started to form. And there were so few of us. Then over the years it started to grow. So many good friends have come and gone over the years, and I miss my good old friends in the superhero community who aren't doing this anymore or just not around the internet anymore. And if any of my old friends are reading this, I want you all to know that I haven't forgotten about you guys and I would be very glad to hear from you again.

Stay motivated, keep each other motivated, remember why you chose to do this and look at how the world will still need you. There is a lot for us to do. Keep it interesting and keep it real (or unreal, as long as it's interesting, haha) and don't lose sight of a better world that you can create, not as much with the results as much the actions.

I don't wanna hear that anyone is "retired". This is what I think of when people are retired:

Old people sitting around in a rocking chair waiting to die.

Even if you can't do what you want to do nor in the exact ways you want to do it, whether at all or anymore, the question you ask yourself shouldn't be "Can I still do this?" but rather "How can I still do this in some way?"

Even if you're hurt or sick or old or not that strong, you can still learn skills that could still help others in some way.

And even if you're too busy doing other non superhero related things, never deny nor forget the importance of friendship with other superheroes, be it the ones you've known before, or the newer ones who will live a better life and be a better superhero because of the guidance, wisdom, and friendship that you have to offer.

And also take this in to consideration too. Every bit of advice you give to another superhero that they use to help someone else, you are indirectly helping those people through that superhero.

If things didn't go your way and you want to quit because of that, that's like starving yourself because you're hungry. If things don't go your way, that's all the more reason to keep doing everything you can to fix it or make up for it the best you can.

The way of the superhero isn't a job, but rather a way of life. It's who you are and what you're meant to do. It's within you forever whether you like it or not and you can't ignore it, especially while you're still alive and that this is a world that needs more heroes, not less of them.

The actions and standards of one superhero do not represent all

I don't like having to tell people the same things over and over again. The actions of one superhero do not represent all of them. We're a Community, NOT a Movement. But that's a good thing. Superheroes are amongst the more diverse categories of people that there is, you can't define all them as a whole with words, but you can witness and experience the actions and good vibes of it all. See my earlier blog post about that Heroic Box Theory.

But I've said this before and I'll say it again. Nobody else represents me and I represent nobody else. I don't care if you tell me "Oh, but the public won't see it that way." Then what good is it ever saying anything at all if one of my most important messages is going to be ignored? I'm not going to sit back at a comment like that and be like, "Alright." I'm just going to try that much harder to try to inform people of the truth, rather than settle for stupid misconceptions.

It's like there are countless gaps that each hero seems to find their own way to fill it the way they know that they were meant to. And sometimes, certain hero's find themselves with missions that contradict each other. It's unfortunate but it does have a deeper purpose behind it, representing a sense of lacking forced conformity.

I hear a lot of talk about how superheroes should hold themselves to higher standards when in their suit (and costumes are for Halloween, NOT for Patrolling). And that could mean countless things, even things that contradict each other. Yes, it's always great when people want to better themselves. BUT, it shouldn't be for the sake of looking good to others, it should be a reminder to themselves, if anything. Well, as for that, taking off the suit doesn't take away the purpose. And what are the higher standards exactly? Fighting against a friend who did something wrong? Or taking their side when everyone turns against them? Are you gonna choose to be a hero for more people? Or are you going to be the hero to one person who needs it more? Or does it depend on what was done exactly? And if so, what kinds of things? My advice would be, know your self and what you believe and don't base your opinions off of what other people will think of you. Don't ever change your beliefs to please the people you respect, because if they are worth respecting, they won't think less of you for your beliefs.

And what I say about how none of us represent each other - unless you give someone the right to represent you, not because of personal bias towards them, but rather because you honestly feel they represent your beliefs and do the same things that you do in the same way you do them. Anyway, that doesn't mean that there can't be camaraderie. The fact that we're all different from each other shouldn't be the thing to divide us, but rather unite us. That's what makes things really interesting. And it's one thing to save the world, but if you can make it fun and interesting for everyone, then you can better motivate it to want to save itself.

And no, while none of us are perfect, I don't think evil should have any place in any of this camaraderie talk I say. That includes the villains and the fake heroes who portray themselves as good on the media but in reality aren't as nice as they portray themselves as. That's another reason I don't want anyone else representing me and I don't represent anyone else, because so many fakes in the media who are too focused on portraying themselves as "good" (even though only like half of them are genuinely good and half of them are not) rather than portraying themselves as they honestly are.

We don't have to put on a false image of perfection - because we're not perfect, but when only the good sides are seen, it shows people that they're hiding something. If we only show the good sides, what do we do, inspire good people who don't need much change, to be good people? We make a better change if we inspire not so good people to be better, and in order to be that, in some ways you'll need to be able to relate to them. People are more inspired by people that they feel like they can relate to in some way. That doesn't mean say everything about yourself, because some mystery is good. But if you're gonna show the world your good traits, are you also prepared to show them some bad traits as well?

By showing both good and bad traits, you will learn who your real friends are. If people only see your good traits, they will like what they interpret of you. And if it's only good, sure they'll like you. But then see how some of them will stop being your friend and stop respecting you once they see some bad traits. Those people aren't real friends, because your real friends will want to be your friends whether they see your good traits or bad traits.

Stay true to yourselves and don't be afraid to be interesting.

The Heroic Box of 4 Boxes

I've been working on this sort of theory that defines the different aspect of heroism. Each hero can have 3 dots of where they fall in this box. This is pretty much just a rough draft, but it can be evolved over time.

And this is not intended to divide people. If anything, it's to remind us of how we're all united within this box. What I hope for is for it to lead to a sense of helping people realize who they are and what they're meant to do. And the fact that we're all different means that we can all use that to know not if we can work together, but rather how. For example, the ways we are different are the ways we can use to balance each other out. The most common example is if there's a hit and run, who goes after the bad guy and who helps the victim?

Anyway, here's the 3 things that can determine where a person fits in this box, but rather more of a triangle. You can have 3 spots in it, all of which can form a triangle.

1- Skills and things that one is able to do.

2- Actions and things they've done and do.

3- Ideals and goals and things they believe in and what their motivations and passions are.

So each RLSH or even regular people - have a triangle in this box but it depends on

Here's a picture of the box to describe what I'm talking about.



Many people will ask me where do they stand in the box. It's not something I can just say "You're in this spot or that spot" unless I know you really well but even I don't know everything about you. What you're skilled to do, trained to do, able to do. Every single thing you've done in your life, or as your hero-self, or if you count them as the same or separately. Or if you want to take in to account what you most believe in personally and seek to do when you patrol, or what you morally believe in.

Each person's perceptions of an action or actions can be different if you take in to consideration the action itself and how much skill went in to it + how much was risked or sacrificed by the heroes in consideration + the consequences and the perception of the consequences of different aspects of it.

Mixing some fictional and real life examples, someone like The Punisher is in the top right corner of the Top Right box. All he does is kill the bad guys. That doesn't sound heroic so let's look at the Navy SEALs. They killed some Somali Pirates and saved one of the victims they captured. The media referred to those Navy SEALs as Real Life Superheroes. And it's true. But the fact that they killed the bad guys would put them in the top right box, on the top line, and because they saved a victim who was captured and could've been killed, that moves them a little bit more to the middle of that Top Right box.

Someone who is more of an observe and report type, or neighborhood watch type who is also focused on going after the bad guys, but doesn't necessarily have the ability to fight them, or just chooses not to, so they're doing it the easier way and also taking a less hands on approach, but does it in a sense that they give information to the police or even other RLSH's to make sure something is done about it, would be in the Bottom Right box. Someone who is more of a Detective or who fights crime but does it by legal standards would move a little farther up but still in the Bottom Right Box.

For someone who is simply just a good person and wants to help people, a simple make a sad person laugh, hold a door open for a person, help an old lady with her groceries, doing a simple good deed, in the Bottom Left box. When someone starts doing charity and things such as helping feed a homeless person, it moves up but still in the Bottom Left box. Same thing with First Aid. Depending on the severity of the need for help and how much went in to it can move it up between the Bottom Left and Top Left box. Once someone runs in to a burning building and saves someone's life or jumps in to a frozen lake to save someone from drowning or hypothermia or saves someone from being attacked by a shark or something, would move someone to the very Top Left corner of the Top Left box.

For someone who simply sees it as "If someone needs help, I help them." and does anything they can, moves them to the very middle where all 4 boxes meet.

Basically, the top represents above and beyond be it by skill or action. The bottom represents the easier and more simple stuff.

For myself, when you take my training of things I'm trained to do, I'm more trained for combat, so that puts me in the top right box. A little bit of first aid training puts me a little bit to the left part of the Top Right box. And because I consider myself a Protector, I'm in the top right but where the top two boxes meet. Since my focus is on stopping the bad guys, but my motivation is so that the people will be protected.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments

Real Life Supervillains

Whether you want my advice or not, you're the one reading my blog so I'm going to give it to you.

If you call yourself an RLSV or aspire to be one, give it up. This isn't a joke and there is nothing funny about you. And you serve as an insult to all that is good in this world, as well as insulting yourselves. Heroes are above villains, villains are inferior to heroes and they're even inferior to regular people.

If you're not one of them, I advise to have nothing to do with these people. Do not talk to them, if you see them on Facebook, block them and do not talk to them. They have no intention of being your friends, even if they say they do or act nice to you at this time. Any time you talk to them, you do nothing but keep them more motivated to stay around longer, and just because they don't bother you, doesn't mean that they won't bother other good people out there who don't deserve to be bothered.

If you are one of them, do not send me friend requests, I won't add you. Do not talk to me, I want nothing to do with any of you. Do not speak for me nor about me, you're not legitimate sources to speak for me. I don't talk to you so you won't have the chance to know me personally enough to find out what kind of person I am.

None of us are perfect but we don't need supposed real life supervillains saying how bad we are or all kinds of lies about us. Nor do we need them to "call out the heroes on their s***" because I kind of like to hear about when heroes talk some crazy talk, many of the craziest people in the real life superhero community are the ones who make it the most interesting, and are also some of the bravest and most loyal and heroic people I've ever known.

I was around this community before it even existed. I watched it slowly grow from very few of us, to how many hundreds of us there are today. I used to notice in the very early days of the RLSH Community, we never heard from RLSV around 2006 and 2007. In 2008, a few would pop up on MySpace every few months, but for the most part, most of the RLSH ignored them, and those RLSV got bored and went away. In 2009, you see more RLSH becoming friends with more RLSV (or so they think) just because some of them made some entertaining videos on YouTube. They started treating the RLSV like a legit thing. That's when the Villains began to infiltrate the Real Life Superhero Community, causing nothing but unnecessary problems. And there's this false misconception that they are only here keep the RLSH in check, and/or serve as a balance. That's a load of crap. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. That's like saying that the job of a criminal is to keep the police in check. In countries where that happens, those police are corrupt and often paid off, not only so that the criminals can roam free, but also be protected by them. And what purpose do RLSH serve, if not to stop villainy?

If you're an RLSH, don't let yourself be manipulated by them. They will make you think that if you're their friend, you won't be bashed by them. And if you're not bashed then everyone will like you and you'll be popular, thus, a successful RLSH.

That couldn't be more untrue. The success of an RLSH isn't based on how popular one is, but rather by the positive changes they make for others in this world. These RLSV have no intention of actually being your friend, and the second that you're not popular, or are too popular, or that they feel like having a little fun, they will turn their backs on you in a heart beat. And then when you wonder why you were betrayed by them, they'll be like "It's ok, I'm a Villain. What did you expect?"

Fame and Popularity can serve as a tool for any RLSH, but I don't believe it should ever be an end goal. And I don't like seeing it change people. It is more heroic to be hated just for being someone's friend, than it is to be liked just for being someone's enemy. That's one thing that isn't really understood by most yet.

There's also another misconception out there that evil is only here to make us stronger. That's false. Evil is not here to make you stronger. Evil has no intention of making you stronger. Evil wants to make you weaker. Let God make you stronger, you'll find no greater source of power than God. God is the one who lifts you up when evil pushes you down. God gives you the strength you need to battle and destroy evil.

Do not glorify evil, even for the sake of humor. Those small ripples will create tsunamis over time. And you'll wish you had not done that.

Do not accept evil. Do not justify evil. Do not make excuses for it nor try to explain it to me about why it's okay. Stop it now while you can. Because if things keep continuing the way they are, eventually more people will be inspired to be evil. And the thing about that is that they won't imitate nor emulate the seemingly less harmful types of evil. They will look to make a name for themselves in going above and beyond that.

Heroes Network

I relaunched the new Heroes Network on December 1st, 2011. If you read my recent blog about The Spirit of Camaraderie you will get an idea of what I had been hoping to accomplish on the new Heroes Network. So far, it has lived up to my expectations. The Spirit of Camaraderie is coming back, just like it needed to. The RLSH Community now has a peaceful, friendly place again where they can go, share their thoughts and ideas, and not have to worry about being harassed by people just for not fitting in with a certain clique or in-crowd. If you're there, you're one of us, and we want you to feel not just accepted, but also appreciated.

I try to not keep this too strict of a place, I just want it to be a fun, friendly, informative place with happy friendly positive vibes, where we all teach and learn from each other. I don't even intend on insulting my enemies - I would rather just not talk about them and keep them irrelevant. The fact that some of my enemies have chose to condemn me, made me further realize the importance of why such a positive place such as this new Heroes Network was needed.

In addition to all the silliness and fun times that is very much needed to balance out with any type of stress that may exist in life, I also intend on building a place with some useful resources on this new Heroes Network for the Real Life Superhero Community.

In addition to the Heroes Network Forum where we have the regular sections that many forums have - and also a chatroom, I also have an Academics Category to teach about things like Computer Security, Criminology, Cryptology, First Aid, Foreign Languages, Forensics, Foreign Languages, Leadership, Martial Arts, Paranormal, Physical Fitness. And probably some more, soon.

The Heroes Network isn't meant to be just a place where people go and post once and don't check it for a while, but rather designed to be a fun place to hang out when online. Some people are busy with their personal lives and busy patrolling too, and the importance of that can't be denied, neither. But, this is made for the cool friendly people who wish to make the world a safer place.

The Heroes Network also has a website with some useful links, such as SpotCrime, CodeAmber, Tracing Missing People, Suicide Prevention, and GoodSearch. A Heroes Network member listing with contact info for members who choose to be added to it will be edited more soon.

Here are some links to the new Heroes Network-

Heroes Network Website:
http://heroesnetwork.weebly.com/

Heroes Network Forum:
http://heroesnetwork.forumotion.net/

Heroes Network Portal:
http://heroesnetwork.forumotion.net/portal

Heroes Network Listing:
http://heroesnetwork.forumotion.net/h3-hn-listing

Heroes Network Twitter:
www.Twitter.com/HeroesNetwork

Heroes Network Facebook Group:
www.Facebook.com/HeroesNetwork

Heroes Network YouTube
www.YouTube.com/TheHeroesNetwork 

For anyone who wishes to join the Heroes Network, I prefer to talk with each member individually, so that they know a little about me and what I wish to accomplish with this new Heroes network, and also what kinds of things I would rather avoid with this new Heroes Network, and also so that I have an idea of who is joining this place that has already been nicknamed the RLSH Paradise or the Heavens Network. If you would like to join us, please contact me at Tothian (at) msn (dot) com