Showing posts with label Tothian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tothian. Show all posts

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Tothian's Song/Hey Kid, by Dan Olson



The lyrics go:

"You've got your grand heroic schemes.
They come to you in your dreams,
but your life never works out like that...

They'll laugh at you until they see
that they started World War 3
then they'll think twice about that...

You got your Army of your Knights
They'll follow you until they die,
but then again maybe they won't...

And when you die you hope and pray
That you'll be Jesus for a day
but you're not dying for my sins...

Hey Kid, you're not a prophet.
Put that gun
back in your pocket.

Hey Kid, you're not a prophet.
Put that gun
back in your pocket.

You can show but who will see
You can lead but who will follow?
Who will follow?
Who will follow?
I can't follow..."

Friday, March 24, 2023

Tothian VS. Devil of Brooklyn Soundtrack

One day, there could be comic books and movies written about the epic war between the real life superhero known as Tothian versus the real life supervillain known as Devil of Brooklyn. We have been at war in both the physical and spiritual realm for thousands of years although time doesn't really exist in spiritual realm, but now born into human bodies our battle of good versus evil has manifest into the physical realm.

In each movie, there are soundtracks. Here are a list of songs that would be in that movie.

-One Slip and it's Doomsday by Master Legend
-Collide, by Howie Day
-Let's Get Retarded, by Black Eyed Peas
-I won't back down by Tom Petty
-Devil of Angel by Bobby Vee
-Eye in the Sky, by Alan Parsons Project
-In Too Deep, by Genesis
-Chosen Ones, by Dream Evil

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Tothian Website

www.Tothian.com

That's my main website with all kinds of information about me, and lists to all of my social media profiles, many links, a way to contact me, information about me, and also an FAQ consisting of lists of questions either that people have asked me, might ask me, or just funny cool stuff. There are also pictures of me on there, and a page with a list of books I recommend reading. Also links of how anyone who wants to can donate money to me, of course to be used how I decide. I can't promise refunds, so only donate if you really want to.

Anyway there is also a list of groups I run, with information about them, in case anyone is wondering about them, or needs our help, or wants to join us.


Thursday, June 30, 2022

Difference between "Military" and "Police" mindsets in the RLSH Community

RLSH Ways of Thinking
As a Marine Veteran, I still keep much of the military mindset for my RLSH work/way of life. I usually try to avoid thet Police Officer mindset in terms of ideologies and methods. I'm not posting this to bash cops - there's good and bad cops out there - I like the good ones and dislike the bad ones. I'll try to be specific about what I mean and why, about how unlike a lot of RLSH, I make sure to NOT have that cop mindset, as Police and Military are needed for two different reasons.

Patrol patterns and transparency
With the Police minded RLSH, they often patrol a specific city the same way that Police Officers patrol within their own jurisdiction or even a specific portion of their city or town. Often emphasized is patrol times and locations. I understand why they record that info. It doesn't mean I like the style of it though.

With the military mindset, one thinks in terms of operational security. To not set a pattern where the enemy can either track you down or work around your pattern, if they know it. And should you have to have a pattern for any reason, try not to make it too well known.

The law
With the Police minded RLSH, they feel it's their duty to either enforce and/or defend the laws, or report lawbreakers to the police, or perform a citizens arrest. Regardless of what is right or wrong, good or evil/bad, their allegiance is to the law, even if they disagree with a law or not.

Although in the military, you'll find a lot of libertarian conservative ideologies amongst the majority of them, which for some reason is shocking to people. They think just because the military is strict that veterans love being bossed around. That couldn't be less true. We self sacrificed our own freedom for that time because we wanted to defend the freedom of others. And the strictness reminds us how much we love and value our freedom. We do fight evil, regardless of what the law says. Granted, while in the military we have to obey all lawful orders from those who outrank us and/or hold a senior billet - after our military service is finished, many of us keep our oath to defend America and our allies from all enemies, foreign and domestic - during peace and/or war. Some join Oath Keepers and similar type groups, and many of us do it on our own without the direct supervision of the U.S. Military, some just act heroically when the need arises. With weapons or without. And we stand for what we believe in regardless of what is popular or legal.

Accomplishments
Amongst the Police minded RLSH and RLSV, many former or inactive RLSH get condemned and ridiculed for "not having done anything or much lately". Or maybe they care about how often and long they patrol in terms of how many days a week and how many hours a day/night. Or by how many citizens arrests they made.

People always respect military veterans, especially those who have served in wars. NOBODY ever looks at World War 2 Veterans - the few that are still alive today - and says "They're useless since they haven't done much lately." Instead most people realize the historical signifance, and respect them for their bravery and heroism.

Punishment and Forgiveness Amongst Themselves
These parts are not literal examples of what each side or type would do every time. But it explains and emphasizes the different general mindsets that I've observed and/or analyzed. Police themselves are known for arresting and charging others who break the law, including their own fellow officers who break the law or commit a misdemeanor, etc.

In the Military, if you do something bad or make a dumb mistake, you gotta do a bunch of pushups or whatever as punishment. It is a quicker way to discipline someone and not only does it not ruin your life forever on public record, but it also makes you stronger. Yes there are Military Police and Court Martials, but this isn't as common for the military as regular ordinary punishment for mistakes.

What makes one Active
In the Police, after you graduate the Academy and get hired by a Department, you begin to start working. You're either On Duty or Off Duty, meaning on patrol or not on patrol, or with the occasional office work like filing a report.

In the Military, if you're on active duty, it doesn't always mean you're in a war zone. Even during times of peace and also even in times of war, the patrols and missions aren't the only thing the service member does. They do their physical training, and also have classes about various subjects that are useful to their military occupational specialties, combat weapons, and things relevant to their missions. They even do training patrols and learn team skills such as hand and arm signals as one example. And of course, when the time comes for it, the actual patrols and missions. And nobody condemns a service member who just returned from war - for taking a few months R&R upon leaving a combat deployment, though with RLSH you might get mixed reactions. There is a natural aspect for some RLSH where it is viewed more as a way of life than as a job, while some view it as a volunteer job, but those who view it mainly as work like a volunteer job tend to burn out faster. They're the ones who eventually "retire" when they get tired of it. But there are those who view it as a way of life, whose methods and tactics can change as they grow older, but they also realize that there is no way one can just absolutely "retire" from a way of life that defines who they are and gives them the passion to wake up and get out of bed every morning, and to live life to the fullest, with the hopes of doing good and making the world a better place.

Personality
This doesn't so much apply to cops, as much as it does for RLSH who try to think like cops. There might be a few former law enforcement officers who still keep that mindset but continue as RLSH with a new name/uniform and no direct supervision of the government. There are cops with personality but the RLSH who try to think like cops try to appear so disciplined that they try to be so boring and serious out of a fear of looking weird or crazy, or of not being taken seriously. These are the people who usually think inside the box, because it keeps them thinking in terms of what they deem realistic. On a side note for the record, I like cops who try to think and act like superheroes more than I like superheroes who try to think and act like cops.

I can't as much say this applies to all branches of the military or not - as much as I can say it does with the Marines, how most of the Marines each have their own unique and interesting personality. They aren't only not afraid of looking weird or crazy, they actually embrace it - with a vengeance. These types of people often have to be creative and think outside the box, for the sake of survival, and even morale.

Security
I've done security missions before. Both in and out of my Tothian uniform, but always as Tothian. This is one where I actually DO have more of the cop mentality than the military mentality, but it does depend on if the scenario is generally a peaceful one as a whole. I've done security at rallies before.



In these rallies, I've often stayed neutral from the debates or arguments themselves, and focused more on the security aspect. I did also speak to drivers who drove up to us in the parking lot to ask questions. At some of these rallies I would film and interview different people. Occasionally I will debate or interview protesters, be they supporters and/or opposition to our cause. I try to be creative about things. And I have answered questions both on camera and to reporters about my views.

I feel with the Military mentality in this scenario is the fighter who actively engages in arguments with protesters in ways that start out political but become more personally argumentive. They make it a war of us vs. them, but I try to make sure our own side stays in line too so they don't get themselves in trouble nor push the public away from supporting us and our agenda. But also because it feels like both the wiser strategy as well as the right thing to do. This wouldn't normally sound like me, since I'm usually all about having that warrior spirit. However, there is an exception to a lot of things and even with the warrior spirit we must pick our battles wisely, and there's a good reason for that because I do feel there are others who hate people for having different opinions (sometimes it's ok, sometimes not, depending on what it is) and also it is sometimes good to have friendly open dialogue.

There are limits to my thinking about this sort of thing though. When it comes to scenarios where you have groups like Antifa attacking innocent people on the streets, or fighting against the Proud Boys (a group I support what they do and stand for but wish they would have used a better name), it no longer becomes a situation of merely personal security nor merely protecting individuals from other individuals, but rather acts of war. And I am a Warrior.

Social Interactions
This one doesn't necessarily apply 100% of the time. One of the facts I left out earlier in this blog is that many police officers are former, retired, or reserve military. So I'm only generalizing based on some observations I've had. When someone is telling a story, the cop minded individual or even cops, will listen thoroughly, and ask questions to understand the story better. One time I was at a bar sharing some of my great stories with a group of people, and one guy was loving my stories and asking me questions, even saying I needed my own podcast, making me feel awesome and all, and then I began to sense that this guy was a cop. I told him that I believed he was a cop, and he verified with me that he was a cop. He was wondering how I knew that. Basically his personality reminded me very similarly of another cop I knew. That was why I kept thinking that. And I was right. A lot of cops I know always seem to like a good story, and they ask good questions. Sometimes they do it just to see if they can get information from people, be it for legitimate investigations, or sometimes just for their own personal entertainment purposes. But as for the Real Life Superhero Community, a cop minded superhero might not always have the best stories to tell, but like anyone they love a good story and are willing to listen and ask questions.

With the military minded RLSH, and I'm specifically thinking of all the Marines I knew, not just some of the Marines, but any Marine you spoke to would always have interesting, wild crazy stories to tell. And there are some RLSH who if you sat down and had a conversation with them, they would have stories you might not believe, and some of which are funnier and more interesting and entertaining than comic books. This type of personality isn't as common in the Real Life Superhero Community, because so many of them are trying so hard to prove to the world that they are boring, normal, regular people. I couldn't understand why anyone would want that, but it happens. As for me my life always felt like a comic book.

Fiction
For the Police minded RLSH, I think of DC Comics. Batman, The Question, The Spirit. These are guys who usually focus on only protecting their city from street criminals, and your occasional supervillain. The comics and movies rarely have much if any humor to them. Often dark and serious.

For the Military minded RLSH, I think more of Marvel comics. They are focused on facing threats of evil all over the world. They are usually fighting some great war to save the world or save literally life itself. Despite the great threats, these heroes often have interesting personalities and aren't afraid to be their crazy selves while fighting great evils of the world.

Punishing criminals and evildoers
I had a similar paragraph earlier about how each side would generally respond to wrongdoings of their own side. In this scenario, one often sees someone do something bad automatically think they should be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison.

When it comes to Castle Doctrine. Or Stand Your Ground Laws, these are laws which work better to help the military minded RLSH. There was a scenario in Texas where a teen male raped a female, and her father murdered her rapist. He not only didn't get in trouble, but was praised as a town hero. It might not feel legal for people to say they would wish death or want to kill such evildoers, but it's definitely the emotional sentiment that a lot of people would feel. Many Veterans aren't afraid to say how they feel about such things, including military minded RLSH. And this isn't limited to that one type of act of evil, but any where there is an innocent defenseless victim involved. And it's not that they all simply endorse killing evildoers, but that they definitely support a more hands on approach when it comes to fighting evil. Although such types might also take morality more than or instead of the law into consideration.

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Yin Yang in the Martial Arts


In Martial Arts classes, we were taught about the Yin Yang Theory, about how in all good there was evil, and in all evil there was good. While as a Christian, I can't say I fully subscribe to those beliefs on a religious deity level, in other philosophical terms with regards to people, I do understand and have seen it displayed in both real life and fiction.

Some of you who have read some of my earlier blogs might have read my blog post about Master Legend and Superhero, who were complete equals and opposites in nearly every single way. It was a perfect representation of the ideas spoken of by Mr. Glass in the movie Unbreakable. Both Master Legend and Superhero have been mentors of mine, each one I felt represented an extreme version of myself but in opposite ways, as if I am what you get if you mix each of them together as one.

In the Karate Kid movie (I specifically reference the first movie) along with the follow-up TV series Cobra Kai, we see a rivalry between Daniel Larusso of Miyagi-Do, and Johnny Lawrence of Cobra Kai, later forming his own Eagle Fang Karate, and even a temporary alliance of the two, Miyagi Fang!

The two seem to be equals in terms of fighting skill, although throughout the first movie, Johnny was seen as the dominant fighter, until Daniel wins the tournament. Fast forward a few decades until their big alliance to team up to teach a class together. It didn't go as well as they had both hoped at first, considering the mixed and conflicting messages of the teachers. In my opinion, they both are right in how they teach. But as they later figured out, they should teach separate classes, yet still maintain their alliance.

It's important to have different teachers teach you different ways, so you can find your own balance, and your own ways. It's easier to do when you expose yourself to a diverse selection of types of teachers.

Superhero used to be hard on me for every mistake I made. Master Legend defended me from every attack on me that happened because of mistakes I made. Not to consider them like parents, but similar to how when it comes to parents a mother and father might have different styles of parenting. One the strict authoritarian and the other the supportive one. But it also displays the fact that two opposing aspects of heroism can also achieve great results. One does it by showing you your mistakes so that you know right from wrong, while the other one who is on your side whether you're right OR wrong, offers you that unconditional loyalty that everyone in this life needs. One teaches you heroism, the other gives you heroism.

Sensei Kreese refused to see any tears or weakness from Johnny when he learned that the young Johnny Lawrence was being physically abused by his step father. While Mr. Miyagi used his healing abilities to heal Daniel's injuries. They're both right, as both teachers helped their students become stronger, although through different methods, even when they say the other is wrong. So who do you follow?

You have to find your own way. You are not alive to merely be an echo of the world, but rather create an echo into the world. If all you were exposed to was one way of teaching that is what you would become. If you are exposed to a different balance of teachings, you learn what works best for what situations. You become both stronger and wiser.

In the Marines, I learned the difference between training smarter and training harder. Many people might assume the Marines is 100% physical and 0% mental. Doing pushups, running, and shooting rifles. How hard could it be, right? Really it's 100% physical and 100% mental. Same as with my real life Jedi training. When confronted with conflict, the Jedi in me wants to behave like Mr. Miyagi and try to avoid conflict as much as I can until the fight comes to me. The Marine in me knows that in order to maintain peace, one must be willing to show strength and fight because if violence is the only language bullies understand then we must be better at communating their own language with them. The level of fear and respect you obtain from that might also be given to potential future victims. But the Jedi aspect also guides people to use diplomacy to avoid or end conflict if and when possible.

So one must know the right times to be peaceful and when to make war, when to train smart and when to train hard. When to indulge, and when to fast. When to exhaust yourself and when to relax.

There are already systems of martial arts known as Bushido (the way of the warrior) and Budo (the martial Way), so I realized why not create a system known as the way of the Hero. I looked up in Japanese and it would be called YushaDo. There could even be one called the Way of the Superhero. But they would be mostly the same thing. It would be a continuous work in progress over time. It would have a philosophy and strategies to it, ones that act as a balance to Bushido and Budo.

More to come over time. And may this idea live on over time and may others feel welcome to add their own versions and interpretations to it also.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

The Geist Files


Hi. So around May, 2007, Geist joins the Heroes Network. We first spoke on phone in June, 2007 one night. I remembered we spoke for a while and he told me he was 45. I was shocked. But he seemed like a nice guy at first.

So anyway, we meet in New York City on Sunday, October 28th, 2007, according to m̶y̶ t̶o̶p̶ s̶e̶c̶r̶e̶t̶ f̶i̶l̶e̶s̶ my superhuman memory, we met at approximately 12:48 around the corner of 48th street and 7th Avenue. We had the most fun day. We helped out some homeless people which is not usually my main duty as Tothian, as I am a warrior, but they were there and needed help and we had the means, so why not.

At the end of the day, I said "Hey Geist, you think we should ask those ladies if they wanna go drinking with us?" I thought he was gonna say something like "No man, that sounds fun but I'm a married man." but he was like "Yeah man! Sure!" so I go up to them and say "Hey would you ladies like to go drinking with us?" they were like "Sure!" but then Life overheard and was like "Alright! Get the cameras!" so we all went there and drank and talked, and had fun. After everyone left it was just Geist and me. As we left, years later we would debate whether it was a patrol or not. He said if he drinks, he is not on patrol. If I saw something going on I would do what I felt should do, and you want to know why? BECAUSE I'M TOTHIAN!

So he's like, "So where you headed?" I told him I would go on next train home. He said "well my hotel has an extra bed if you wanna crash there for the night". I'm like, you don't mind??? He smiles and says "No I don't mind." so I'm like, "Cool!" we get pizza and back at his hotel room and I use bathroom, I come out and he is nervously standing there. "Tothian, please don't be mad. You dropped your Military ID and I looked at it, but here's mine." so he hands me mine and his, and I memorized his. Because unlike many of my former friends who became enemies, I have respect and mercy, to an extent. Not for my always-enemies but for my former friends who became enemies. I won't be posting his name or address here at this time. But I do know it. Anyway he asked "So you're not mad?" I laughed and was like "No I'm not mad." and he was relieved.

Next day, we both leave and we head home. I check Heroes Network forum and he sent me a message subject title something like "Hey how are ya, bud?" I was so happy to hear from him! But when I opened the email, it was an eerily long email, accusing me of being a fed. I thought, this must have to be a joke, but the more I read, the more the idea of it being a joke seemed to slowly diminish. I was amused and flattered. Many people in life think I give off a secret agent vibe. It's a superhero thing.

February, 2010. Geist turned against me for wrecking a forum I created but was nice enough to let someone else run temporarily. But he did not turn against them for doing it to me in June 2008 when I ran it. His excuse was "Oh well that was different." he was right but in the wrong way. The HUGE difference is those who did it to me made me think everything was fine until AFTER they did it. And I forgave them. And 2007 and 2008 were HAPPY FUN years in the superhero community. But in 2009 and 2010, were horrible years. The Heroes Network was run by Zimmer who was basically the antichrist of the superhero community. When he ran the Heroes Network, it was no longer a happy fun place anymore. People were constantly being threatened by the moderators like Zero the diagnosed sociopath for example, and yet that went entirely ignored by the admin and other moderators. Constant slander, it was horrible. I had to leave my own creation and unlike the deceptiveness I had to deal with, I let them know if the threats and slander did not stop, I would shut down my creation. Solaris one moderator did help me though. Anyway, they did not forgive me though my action was justified, theirs was not. but the idea is Geist was being hypocritical, and for a while after that, called me his "frienemy". Ok whatever.

A year later, in February 2011, Geist called me up, sad. "Tothian, I really miss Ecliptico. Will you talk to him for me?" so I called up Ecliptico, I told him. He said to me "Oh HELL no I don't wanna talk to Geist!" I was like "Oh come on." "Ok fine, Tothian. I'll do this for you." "Ok cool!"

So I arrange a 3way call, we all talked for a while. It went great. So when I wanted to eat, I had them exchange numbers. So they do. I hang up.

Next day, Ecliptico calls me up "Well, I spoke to Geist for a while last night." "Oh how did it go?" so he told me it went great, but then Mrs. Ecliptico came home, sick with flu, worked double shift as manager. But Geist kept calling the house phone all night, the calls were ignored but he kept waking up the whole family and leaving long answering machine messages accusing Ecliptico of being a fed. So that rekindled friendship for him and Ecliptico died again real fast.

December, 2013, Geist praised Silver Sentinel, AKA Sofa Sentinel, AKA Cellphone Sentinel, and I immediately called his house number that I think he knew I had for emergencies. I knew he would only answer that number. And he did. I told him what I had to say. He said "Sorry Sir, wrong number." I got the hint that his wife was there. And later he thanked me for playing along. I said no problem. Then he began to ask me to never call that number again. "Ok sure." then he began slurring his words and made bizarre threats. That is when I got annoyed and blocked him.

Every weekend when he would drink, he would go on long facebook rants about me, lying or twisting facts. And many people would reply and not realize this man is a delusional drunk with a medical condition known as tremor. They think this guy is sane or that he gives good information? He gives really bad advice, and I feel he is wrong about a lot of his beliefs. I like the guy a lot, because even as an enemy, he is interesting.

One thing many of my enemies fail to realize is that not all of their friends really like them. So when they talk bad about me for something they themselves did, or for something they understand or forgave someone else for, they see my enemies as judgmental and this is how I make many loyal friends and lose fake friends.

So often I would get messages from people "Wait, you're a real dude??? I thought you were a figment of Geist's imagination!" or "WOW! So YOU'RE that guy that Geist keeps accusing me of being!"

One idiot Robert Frost of Paradox Core who is evil, stupid, and fake, comes into my chatroom and asks me why I keep bothering Geist. This was after I had left Geist alone for a while, yet he kept obsessing about me. I was not even gonna waste time talking to an idiot. Instantly blocked him. He is not really anyone interesting or important anyway.

One night I called Geist. I said "Hey man, I just wanted to say sorry for any past problems we had, and would rather us not talk bad about each other on the internet." he then replied "Yeah man I agree." then he added "I'm was at work now though" I said "Oh! Sorry I did not mean to bother you at work" he said "No no that's alright. Just call me in a few hours." "Ok sure!" "And Tothian..." "Yeah what's up?" "It's great to hear from you again!" "You too! Ok talk to you later." "Ok, seeya."

FINALLY! WHAT A RELIEF! I WAS SO HAPPY! I call him about 2 or 3 hours later. He replies "Uhh... Yeah. I thouuugghhhttt about it... And I'llll say whaaaatever the fuck I want, about WHOOOO ever the fuck I want." OH NO NOT AGAIN!

In June, 2016, I spoke to Wildcat for the first time in about 2 years. She let me know Geist called her up a few months prior, and was drunk, accusing her of being an FBI Agent who was giving me information about him.

What is Geist hiding, and why is he so worried about the FBI? A guy who only walks around a few times a year handing out a few sandwiches to homeless people thinks the FBI considers him a dangerous vigilante just because he wears a mask. What an idiot. An annoying but sometimes likeable idiot, but still an idiot. Haha. Like the kind of idiot who says in an article as his civilian identity that he likes collecting X-Men comic books, and also helping people but not talking about it. And when asked about the helping people, he reminds them "and not talking about it."

Me and others call him Delusional Geist.

Anyway, if you are an undercover FBI Agent who would like to provide me with information about Delusional Geist, send me a message. I already know his name, address, phone numbers, family members names, (which I know based on what he himself told me) and also where he works, what he does, who he works for and with (which I am not posting about) I particularly need to know what kinds of pizza (and soda) he likes. It's important to me.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Dangers of Gun Control

In the Constitution of the United States, the 2nd Amendment clearly states:

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Which means, that the United States Government is not allowed to infringe upon that right. In fact, the oath of office for the President of the United States, is:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God."

The oath of office for the Vice President, as well as members of the United States Senate, is:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

Which means that any member of any of the 3 branches of government, be it Executive, Legislative, or Judicial, who actively supports gun control, is in violation of their oath of office.

There are 3 main reasons that the rights of Americans to carry a gun should not be infringed upon. We need guns to protect ourselves from the following 3 things.

1- Tyranny from our government.

2- Invasion from foreign governments.

3- Crime.

Now you gotta look at the statistics. Look at places where there are very strict gun laws. Chicago for example. Some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. And also one of the most dangerous cities. Now look at countries like Sweden. 1 in 2 citizens carries a gun. Lowest crime rate in the world.

If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. Not only is violating those rights of law abiding citizens exactly the kind of thing that our Founding Fathers warned us about, but it also disarms them and gives them no means of self-defense from those who will carry regardless of any such law, and in fact, empowers them against those who won't carry.

If someone with a gun wants to rob a bank, they're going to have a lot more luck in a place with strict gun laws, because you most likely wouldn't find anyone else there with a gun. So therefore it empowers them against everyone else. But, if they want to rob a bank in a place where there aren't any strict gun laws, and everyone else in that bank has a gun, 1 gun won't get them far against 30 other people if all 30 of those people have a gun.

It's sad that after certain tragic shootings, that the government and media wants to use such unfortunate events as an excuse to further push their gun control agendas, which will only make the situation worse. The problem isn't guns themselves. It's what bad people do with them. And the fact that so many potential heroes are disarmed from being able to as effectively defend themselves and others from those who will use them for malicious intentions.

There are some things which could sound good in theory. However, the facts and statistics have proven time and time again that gun control is a dangerous agenda.

Should I ever be killed in the line of duty by an armed gunman, and any politician or who ever tries to push stricter gun laws on my behalf, know that it wasn't the guns that were the problem. It's the fact that I live in a state with strict gun laws, and that I likely didn't have a gun to be able to defend myself as easily without a gun. And we live in a nation where the current President of the United States and the liberal members of the Senate, House of Representatives, and other members of government want to violate our 2nd Amendment rights that have been granted to us by the Founding Fathers of the United States.

No, Americans don't need background checks. While that would sound nice in theory to some, in practice it's unconstitutional. It violates the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which protects "against warantless searches and seizures" due to the need that our Founding Fathers recognized, that people should have the right to privacy. I fail to see how such a concept isn't unconstitutional.

And illegalizing automatic weapons? What about those who aren't as skilled with a hand gun, and only have 10 rounds, but needs to protect against an armed thief who breaks in to their home armed with an AK-47? A handgun wouldn't be as effective.


When you see politicians start to misinterpret the Constitution, violate it, and deceive America about why what they're doing is alright, give bull$#&% lies that they "respect the constitution" while it's clearly evident that they don't respect it at all, you set us back to where we started back before the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. The very reason that the United States of America was formed was so that we could have freedom from such forms of tyranny.

Back to the Gun Control issue. Gun Safety and Gun Control AREN'T the same thing. Gun Safety has nothing to do with the laws. It has to do with common sense. Gun Control is a flawed concept.

Adolph Hitler once said: "If you want to conquer a nation, you must first disarm it's citizens."

Not only would allowing people to access and carry guns more easily decease crime, and thus help the economy and government budget more by reducing the high cost that crime has on society, but having more gun stores open in more places would also help give more jobs to more people and thus help the economy more that way too.

No, gun control doesn't keep police safer, neither. It just makes their jobs more dangerous. And when their communities suffer because of the crime, so does the economy there, and stores begin to close down, which means (high taxes are never good, but since a certain percentage of any business' earnings go to the government, and more businesses would closing down, they have less amounts of businesses there to help out with that, so then the government's budget suffers, and thus they start having to lay off more officers. Which then makes it harder for them to combat crime.


Here's a link with has some facts and statistics about gun control:

http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp


http://www.policymic.com/articles/24124/7-gun-control-facts-that-are-actually-myths 

I'll likely update this blog over time.

Friday, November 16, 2012

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!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

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!

Friday, October 12, 2012

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

Monday, September 17, 2012

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. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“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? 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? 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.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

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.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

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.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

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

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The 4 Aspects of Fighting Evil

I've spoken about this before, and I will again. From my studies and experiences, I've theorized that there are 4 aspects of fighting evil, and there are even other ways to interpret this in your own ways, but here are some of my ways of viewing it. And I will share them with you.

The Fire Aspect- This one is obvious. Just think of the term used time and time again. "Fighting fire with fire." That's what this one is. Vengeance. The advantage of it lies in how effective of a tactic it is at scaring evil. The disadvantage is overkill, taking things too far, when sometimes the punishment may not seem to fit the crime.

The Earth Aspect- This one makes me think of a fair, balanced version of fighting evil. Reaping what you sew. Since this planet Earth consists of all 4 aspects, any of the other 3 aspects can be applied where necessary. Justice. The advantage is that it's actions are equal to the evil it's attempting to fight, destroy, punish, or teach a lesson to. Not too much as to be considered unfair, yet not too little as to be considered weak and afraid to fight back. This one I feel most in line with, because I understand and accept all of the aspects, but agree with this ideal the most.

The Water Aspect- To fight hatred with love, cruelty with kindness. It's advantage comes with the times it's able to make an evildoer see the error of their own ways by comparison to the seemingly undeserved respect you show towards them. As in, if you want an evil person to be good, then first show them what good is. The disadvantage is for the times it can be viewed upon as a weakness.

The Air Aspect- This one I can interpret in a few ways. The first way I thought of it, a while back, was ignoring evil. It's advantage is against the type of evil that thrives off the attention it's given. Ignoring those types of evil people make them lose the motivation to do evil. Another way I had interpreted it had to do with a combination of knowledge and indirectly fighting evil. Such as being a strategist or someone in a support role who may not necessarily fight evil themself, but yet in a sense indirectly does by offering some type of advice or useful resource to help the other person fight evil. Praying could perhaps be considered this as well, yet supplemented with the intentions of any of the other 3 aspects.

Each of those 4 represent common tactics you see with Police, when interrogating people. The Good Cop (Water), The Bad Cop (Fire), That one Cop who is serious, can be friendly but also firm and strict (Earth), then there's that one quiet Cop that you don't know what they're thinking (Air).

One mistake I see certain Warriors make is denying the importance of aspects other than their own, rather than learning to balance out those other ones.

There are also mixtures of these elements as well, such as Lava, Ice, Mud, Smoke.