fanfare

Are we all who we are supposed to be?

And if so-what compels the people who become great to know that they have that greatness inside? Pardon the confusing circumvention, but it may be a by-product of the minor food poisoning I contracted this weekend. Are we all capable of greatness, and is it only by process of elimination, luck and determination that we achieve it?

Now, I sound like Tony Robbins.

I've been watching the entire season of the now-defunct sci-fi western, 'Firefly'. Where WAS I when this series came out? And why did I not want to watch it then? Maybe I was all Joss Whedon-ed out or something. But this series, if you haven't watched it yet, is AWESOME. And not because I'm a scifi/fantasy fan geek girl. First of all, the writing, for the millions of people that watched other Whedon shows like, "Buffy" and "Angel", is fantastic. Just this side of ironic without getting unnecessarily snarky or too smart. All of the characters are well-drawn and distinct, but not cartoonish. They have depth and intelligence and...some of the lines are just friggin' hilarious. Next, Whedon knows how to craft a show well-going seamlessly from comedy to drama to intense battlescenes. He purposely used hand-held, old fashioned "bad" camera angles, lens flares and zoom effects to get the 70s style Western down pat. And it all crafts a wonderfully rich and evocative show that isn't hokey so much as real.

There are a billion 'Firefly' fans out there who are going, "duh" and "way to jump onto the bandwagon late".

Anyhoo, Adam Baldwin-the actor who plays the thuggish and lugheaded brawn of the crew, Jayne, was quoted as saying about his character, "He thinks HE'S the hero." And Whedon was quick to point out in the commentary that each character, from the lowest to the most heroic likes to think of themselves as the hero. Except, for possibly, the one character that IS the hero, captain Mal Reynolds (played by yummy sexy Nathan Fillion). And I guess, the segues into my original question...are we all who we're supposed to be?

Can the meathead muscle bound greedy guts be the hero in his own mind?
Can the uptight, elitist, uppity, genius doctor warrant a crown of laurel?
Can the misunderstood, outcast, psychic teenager achieve legendary status?
Can the hill-billy, tomboy mechanic gain a following?
Can the stoic, second in command female start a revolution?
Can the beautiful, cultured whore win a kingdom?
Can the wacky, goofy pilot command a parade?
Can the preacher erect a memorial?

Can we all at some time, prove ourselves, worthy of the label, "Hero of the Universe"? What can we do to earn this? And what do we do in our everyday lives that we seemingly brush aside or disregard that either proves or disproves our heroic tendencies? In the story of our lives, we are the hero. Or the villain. Or the romantic lead. Or the ingenue. It only matters how we conduct ourselves and our own perception of that role.

Watch 'Firefly'
Don't eat "warm" sushi
Sleep early.
I'm out.