I loved cartoons as a child, especially the ones that came out of Japan: stories of demons, heroes, and most importantly control of power. One of the consistent themes was the idea of the underdog rising to the occasion, gaining enormous amounts of power through willpower to be the top dog. This inspired my own childish fantasies of being the strongest, of gaining power. In many ways, it was the imagination of a small child run amuck as a result of the flood of violent cartoon animations. Still, these ideas left an imprint. At my current age, these fantasies shift away from being adorable childish fantasies into the ideas of a man who needs to be slightly more in touch with reality. The point is not that I still fantasize about monsters, rather I still dream of perfection.
I should perhaps clarify a bit. The dream wasn’t so much to be a model of perfection. Rather, it was to be the top-dog if you will. At the climax of many of these shows, there is a moment which I like to describe as “the arrival” scene. It’s the moment when the hero reaches the battlefield. Besides the wonderful music that typically gushes from these scenes are usually the best. But that’s not the reason for my appreciation. There’s a level of awe, of appreciation, but also of need in these moments.
What do I mean by “need” in this context? Well, when the hero arrives, his allies are typically in a dire state. The moment of arrival is inevitably always before the final blow is dealt and all is lost. The last minute intervention saves the ally and typically the plot of the story along with it. We then cut to scenes of the hero pummeling the bad guys. I said these shows captured my attention, I didn’t say that they were always original. Anyhow, I suppose my point is that I see beauty in that leverage, that concept of being needed.
The idea can certainly be translated quite easily into the real world, a little universe where power levels aren’t measured in power levels, but in one’s intelligence, in one’s creations, in one’s skills. Gaining that leverage is difficult of course. One phrase I hear often on a college campus (and throughout many parts of life in general) is that “no matter how good you are, there’s always someone better.” So, then what keeps us motivated? To keep going, to move forward? I would argue it’s the sense of progress, that incremental improvement. Another cliché idea, but one that stands as golden truth, is that progress only comes with need. It’s an idea that improvement only comes from need. The model examples in many cases are great inventions that had their roots in war. But even in my own simple life, I can feel the greater motivation from my peers and from myself; from a desire to improve and to change; from knowing that I am not the best, but I can motivate myself towards it.
