A Little Story.

     I have a little story.  For you, my One, and only follower. 

A while back, I was bored.  Pretty bored.  I thought to myself, "I know what I'll do.  I'll make a fake Facebook profile as a RLSH". (Real Life Super Hero, for anyone else who reads this)  And that's what I did.  A fake profile.  "Now, I'll need a fake name.  A name that sounds cool, but it has to be kind of obtuse.  Not like 'The Masked This or That', but memorable.  Something that stands out".  And that's what I did.  So would be the birth of 'ZERO'. 

"Oh what's this?  Facebook won't let me USE Zero as a name.  A first AND last name... Zero Ekks.  Nope.  Ekks Zero.  Nope.  Ok, I see how it is.  Gonna hafta get ridiculous, huh?  Ok.  TheMan NamedZero.  SUCCESS!!  Now I need a pic.  Hmmm... Can't use one of ME.  Google.com/images...  Maybe a skull...?  There's a cool one.  Even says Zero on it.  Sweet.  (later I found out it was a skateboard company logo... oops.  Oh well...)  Ok.  New profile, new name, new pic.  Nice.  Now to start making "friends" and messin with people.  MLOL"

I friend requested a few "heroes" and began shooting the bull.  Soon I had friend requests out the wazoo.  Almost too many to keep up with.  Apparently these guys SWARM on any new prospective recruit to their cause. 

Then I got an 'inbox'. 

"You need to change your name.  There is already a Zero".  Said KnightOwl. 
I searched for 'Zero'.  Nothing  I DID see a profile for one 'Jack Cero'.  I replied to KnightOwl.  "It looks like it's pronounced Ser'-oh". 
To which he responded "He's been around for a while." 
I chose to not respond.

Several days later I got another 'inbox'.  The aforementioned Jack Cero.  

Bingo.  Someone to mess with.
 
"You need to change your name.  I'm Zero." he typed.
I replied "It looks like it's pronounced Ser'-oh". 
"I'm Zero.  I have been for a while.  My name's been in the media.  It's COPYRIGHTED". 

I thought to myself, "What a bunch of crap.  You can't copyright the word zero.  It's a damn NUMBER."  So I argued with him, made a retaliatory post on my fake page, "Here I thought I was joining a community with values and morals, and all I get is 'I'm Zero.  Name in the media.  COPYRIGHTED'."  "That'll rile him up!", I thought. 

And it did.

He and I traded punches, so to speak, about the name on a post or two.  I told him "You're making an awful big deal out of this aren't you?  After all, there's more than one STEVE in the world."  He told me it was not so much the name, but the respect.  Then his friends started in on me.  "Zero's my friend.  Change your name or I'll kick your ass!!"  WOW.  Cero never made any threats at me.  But his friends sure were.  I got several of these.  From different people.  All threatening me over a NAME.  I even read a post about stabbing my scrotum with an icepick.  "THESE PEOPLE ARE THE HEROES??"

Then I saw a comment from Jack.  "Ya know what?  Forget it.  Keep the name.  Enjoy it." 

More threats from his friends. 

"Guys, back off.  Leave it alone.  I'm not worried about this."

Zero called it quits.

He didn't stop being a RLSH, or X-Alt as I believe he preferres.  But he had the sense to not fight over something stupid like this.  He recognised (and, more importantly, EXERCISED) his ability to choose his battles.  Well done, Zero.

I have subsequently given up the page.  Changed the name.  (Still spying...  heheheh).


The lesson here is simple. 

We ALL have the power to make choices.  Some of us will choose "hero", some will choose "villain".  Sometimes the lines get blurred.  But when stop making our OWN choices and start letting others make them FOR us; that's when we give up one of our most SACRED freedoms.  When we follow blindly ANY leader into the abyss, we begin losing freedoms one by one till they're gone.

MB


ps.  I used Zero's name with his foreknowledge and permission.  And as far as I can tell, there are no hard feelings on either side of the fence.