Lakers lost again. Two at home for the semi-finals. Doesn’t look good for the series. Dallas is taking it to them. Haven’t watched. It makes me ill. I can hear the screams and shouts of disgust outside the house.Too little, too late. Can’t listen to sports radio the day after they lose. Dallas, come on. In a way, I am not too surprised by their performance. The year has had its share of its disappointments. Now the Lakers will be playing on the road. Three games. Can’t tell you it looks good. Looks dark.
Doubts leak into one’s confidence. Body language scream frustration. . .disgust. . .anger. I can hear the screams of other Lakers fans in the desert sky. Much love should be given to the three-time Finalist and back to back champion. Perhaps, they have run out of gas. Maybe this good team is not destined for more. Maybe there is no more blood pumping in their hearts.
I know what it feels like when this happens. You go on a great run and then it feels like the bottom drops. High expectations and then a fall. It is hard when good is simply not good enough. The slow decline. Or quick drop off. Nadir feels heavy. Doubters’ voices raise and we learn when fair-weather friends show their true colors. We discover who has one’s back.
Thor
Mjollnir is the fabled hammer of Thor. Built by master dwarves, this creation had the power to heal, to destroy, and to create. Held by the hero-god Thor it was presented as the master weapon. Read many issues of the Nordic God in the Marvel Universe. Blonde-Haired, blue eyed, red caped. Built like a tank. Battled frost giants and saved damsels in distress. He rode a chariot in the sky, pulled by two goats. Tooth-Gnasher and Tooth-Grinder. He wore a belt of strength and iron gloves that allowed him to hold lightning, In some art, he is said to have red hair. He was son of Odin and Earth. Very large and very strong. His demeanor was trusting and short fuse with beserker rage.
Comics Come Alive to Big Screen
Friday Thor the Movie comes out. It is one of the latest Comic movies hitting this season. Heard from one person on Facebook that it was weak. Hope this is not true, but I am one to find out for myself. There has been a good run of late. Spider-Man trilogy was true to form and the special effects were outstanding. X-Men, Fantastic Four, Blade, two Hulks, a couple of Iron Mens, Daredevil, Electra, Wolverine. Captain America is coming out soon. Plus, Green Lantern trailers have been hitting with some regularity. (Green Lantern is different Genre Universe). Hope the comics I loved still has energy and good story pumping in them.
Heroes Fall. Heroes Followed. Heroes Rise
One thing I’ve learned about comics is that Heroes fall. They are faced with certain truths. Truth about themselves. Truth about others. Truth about the nature of the universe and beyond. It shakes a person’s core. Heroes lose sometimes. They live, they die, they come back. They get defeated and more often than naught, they survive, and thrive. One popular theme is an Anti-hero manifests itself and the hero again is faced the darker side of his/ her nature. It’s a bit troubling to see, but what is hero without something to overcome. Without something to pursue.
What I like about the Sports is the drama of the story. Lakers for a minute we’re unbeatable. Expectation of success is set high and when the one you are cheering for one that doesn’t meet what you expect. There is a let down. A disappointment. We lose Faith.
FAB, Truth Shines
A phenomenon occurs. Its called FAB. Fundamental Attribution Bias. We tend to identify with certain teams, heroic figures, athletes. When the team win, it is unmistakable. Go to any sporting event, basketball, football, soccer. People will say, “We won” As if they play the game. As if they had hours on the playing field practicing. As if they made the winning basket or caught the winning touchdown. On the flipside, when the team loses. What do most people say, “They lost.” No we lost. They lost.
Fans Follow Idols, Not Worship Them
Its funny on how people identify themselves with success, but when there is failure or defeat, Disassociation occurs. Guess, this is why some fanatics—be they sports fans, Oprah watcher, comic book lover, trekker, porn star, or American Idolist—become what they are. Not sure if it is good or not. We do what we do.
We can follow heroes. We can aspire to be like others. However, worshipping another is Big “No No” We are born as so many men (and women), we must still follow our own path. It is the way. It is the Tao. Our lives are own. We must live with the consequence of our actions, of our choices. Our destiny is our own. How we face it is what makes us. In the end, I hope Lakers will triumph. I am pretty sure I will like the Thor movie and I will let Faith guide me.
Decalogue
In Decalogue, a set of moral standards is given. Expectations are abound and when we do not meet these expectations are not met a disappointment occurs. So when one talks of the Decalogue (Wikipedia it) we can understand why the Big Smile is disappointed. Imagine if the Big Smile stopped cheering for us. It is through these time, where Faith is found and forged. This is what I’ve discovered what Faith is. It’s getting through these tough times when we fall less than.
It is cheering when the one we love falters. When we aren’t perfect, we are tested. Faith is a promise like saying, "I Love You." People sometimes breaks this agreement. Turning our back hurts. However, we can return. It is what Faith and Love is. Still, it’s a Covenant to stick, a promise to be there. As humans, we will fall and this is what we shall strive for and fight for. We should become better.
