Will To Stand

"My thoughts and emotions shift. My body aches. My soul does not. I'm finally thinking clearly. I'm finally thinking like me...No more fear. But plenty of damn will. Will to stand up. Will to fight. And Will to live."

-Hal Jordan

I've said in the past that I have this romantic notion of heroism and I've also opened up discussions of fear quite often. The thing is, fear has far too much control over our actions than it should and until we all find a way to get over fear I won't stop writing about it.

Yet I don't think that's ever going to happen, because fear doesn't work that way. To overcome fear once is a wonderful first step but it won't stop there. Fear is not eradicated but pushed back. When you overcome something that first time it doesn't make you automatically unafraid in the future, it just makes it easier to overcome the next time it comes around.

For those looking for a biblical perspective, the bible says that, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."

Say what you will, but we are incapable of perfect love on our own. That doesn't mean we stop striving to grasp it, it just means that we may have to work harder than most Christians would lead you to believe.

I believe that at the heart of every human is a desire to be better. It's a drive that can be healthy and dangerous because also at the heart of every human is a desire to be self-serving. Becoming better for one man might have him taking care of those who can't do so themselves, while for another it might mean seeking fortune and glory.

Emotions are a powerful source of strength yet need to be harnessed correctly. Balance is necessary in controlling yourself.

When I become emotional, I tend to internalize. I don't want people to be able to read me so I bottle it up. It used to break my heart doing this, until I found a group of friends I could trust to release my emotions with. I don't do so with a crutch mindset, I've just allowed these people to see my heart.

The emotional spectrum is vast, but some of the basic emotions have been labeled by Geoff Johns quite well in a series called Blackest Night.

We have avarice, rage, fear, hope, love, compassion, and at the center of it all lies will. No one is free of feeling, no matter how internal they have become. They all feed off of each other, where some act in perfect harmony with each other while some clash.

The negative side of the spectrum (avarice, rage, fear) are all considered weaknesses. When we act out in fear or anger or greed we're looked at as cowards. When we act in love, hope or with compassion we're looked at as noble heroes.

I know in the past I've stated that I have a plan to write about a certain set of ideas and then never followed through but this time I'm going to do my best to continue this discussion of the emotional spectrum and why will is key in understanding and controlling each of them.

It's time for rebirth, a pledge I've made and am striving for. 

I invite you along for the journey and hope to see something amazing rise from the adventure.

-Chris "Highball" Peters

(If you catch the reference not only will you call me a nerd but I'll also be impressed)