Who’s your Villain?
Most great stories or movies that have ever been told have a Hero in them.
Stories that stand the test of time and continue to resonate with us whether they be Disney Films, Tales of Ulysses, The Star Wars Saga or simply the ones told at bed time all have a HERO in them.
The hero’s journey or the “Arc” is central to the story but have you noticed that the best ones, the stories that reach deep into our hearts and minds also have a villain that intrigues us almost as much as the hero.
It’s the Villain that actually makes the story come alive.
My first post in the 10 part “The Heroes Journey” series asked the question “What does a HERO mean to you”. I posed that question as a way to get you thinking about YOU;
You as your own hero… I wanted to provoke you and invite you to start questioning how heroic you actually are.
Daily we hear stories that make the news about heroic acts as well as unimaginable suffering and terror. Too frequently however, the news skews to the side of terror and suffering. I believe that’s because as a society we’ve become OK with the “Villain”.
What is it about our daily lives that has led to this acceptance of the Villain?
Would a HERO accept the villains way? NOT A CHANCE – The Justice League would be activated and all hell would break loose.
We’ve accepted the villains presence and its dominance in our daily lives….because as an old grandfather would say “That is the wolf that is being fed”.
“Well, you need the villain. If you don’t have the villain the good guy can just stay home” – Christoph Waltz
Understand your Villain – Greet them – Invite them to a meeting.
One of my favorite movies of all time is the movie “Heat” – featuring two of my favorite actors, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. At the movies heart is essentially the battle between the hero (the cop Pacino) and the villain (De Niro as the bank robber). In a beautifully written scene, screenwriter Michael Mann gets his characters to sit down for coffee together. Cop and Robber – sitting down across the table from one another simply seeing each other, putting a face to a name and publicly acknowledging that each other exists. It is a brilliant scene.
How do you bring your villain(s) into the light? Have you ever invited or given permission to these villains to make their presence truly known?
Is the villain inside you too dark, too scary or buried too deep to come out?
If the above sentence impacted you at all – don’t let it get away. DO THIS TODAY.
- Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed or distracted
- Get out your journal (I don’t leave home without my Moleskin notebook)
- Look inside yourself and invite your villain out. Give them permission to come out and face you. Let them join you in that quiet space
- Write down who they are and what they mean to you
In the first post in this series I asked you “What does a HERO look like to you”. Here I’ve asked you to start identifying who your villains are. In the journey’s of self, of good vs evil, of hope over despair every protagonist must have it’s antagonist. Identifying who each one is for YOU will be crucial to your HERO Journey.
“One man with courage is a majority” – Thomas Jefferson
You MUST bring these villains out of the deep dark places inside of you and make them known. Be them big or small.
The villain doesn’t like being in the spotlight… it loves the shadows. It enjoys tormenting you from within. Don’t let it.
Start by first having the courage to meet it face to face and learn from it.
Today’s post is the second in my series called “The Heroes Journey”. If you missed the first one click here to get caught up. In the next post I’m digging into the HERO code of conduct.
I would love to hear your feedback on this topic and help you in any way I can while you start out on your HEROES journey.
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As always, I welcome all comments and thoughts.
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Bruno Coelho says
What an exceptional piece Alan! This was crazy and it made me think of why I love Bane and The Joker so much…
I guess that we all envy the freedom and courage that those villains display at being themselves. With absolute confidence.
But I believe that the real breakthrough happen when you use that peak state experience for good and to give something worthwhile to the World!
Great work!!!
RavenWolfab says
WOW Bruno,
Thanks for the Kudos… Great insight as well into the freedom and courage that the villain displays. I love that. If people take the time to look at both sides “Their Hero and their Villains” I think radical shifts will happen. Fighting the good fight within ourselves is sometimes the hardest journey of them all.
Keep blazing that trail…
Alan
Josh Bishop says
Awesome post here, I really enjoy the insight into the different ways I can fight a villain inside of me. I do agree that the media takes a predominantly villainous view in our society. I think it all circles back to wanting the easy way out. Loved the read, can’t wait for more.
RavenWolfab says
Thanks Josh.
That’s why they call it the “easy way out”…..it tends to be easy. What I believe we all need to pay attention to is what “Easy” means though. Is that easy way out HEROIC or in line with what we would want our inner Hero to do?
Best,
Alan
Cayce Pummell says
Great piece. Never thought about it from that perspective. Look forward to the upcoming series.
RavenWolfab says
Thanks Cayce,
I hope you find the rest of the series as exciting. #3 is about the Hero Code of Conduct and really starts to explore the way you set up your own specific HERO code.
Best,
Alan