I often ask myself about futility. Or, I am this morning, at least.

Whether there is control or not and how the business about bothering up a try at anything can seem pointless. Fruitless. Because, as we all know, you cannot fail if you do not try. It’s a dichotomy. One needs the other to exist. Success and failure. Like good and bad. Night and day. Etc. and such.

At what point is it realized that efforts are not as vital as one thinks?

So. Here I am. Trying something, yet again. Despite tiredness. And aches and pains, physical or otherwise. And a seemingly minimal motivation. And a total lack of topic or theme idea up cracking my crusted eyelids open for the new day. But I try, just the same. And though it may fail, I hope someone out there at least tries to read this. I’ll do my best to make it something worth reading.

After spending all day marching about in the attire of ancestors that make up a good portion of my genetics, and drinking, I found myself discussing an interesting topic upon the end of the day. I was with my younger brother. He had put on a Chinese film from the current decade, I believe. Comedically portrayed, its plot consisted around demons and the humans that hunt them. Elemental or animal based, i.e. water demon, pig demon and the sort. And though there were those highly skilled in the capture or destruction of these demons, the protagonist was far from this. Bumbling and outwardly disheveled, he lacked, at least in the beginning, any type of ability to perform such tasks. Further, even his teacher is of the same low or an even lower ability ranking, though the protagonist is mostly oblivious to this for most of the film. Clueless and inept.

I didn’t see the ending of the film, at least not one that I can recall, but it brought up a debate. A debate on heroes and the ideology behind them. We started using an East v. West comparison.

Look ma, another dichotomy!

And though we be no scholars, we have consumed a good bit of culture, both pop and otherwise, and broke it down like so.

Generally, or at least in the examples that we came upon, the Western hero is what would be considered special. Though sometimes still an outcast or reject, this character usually has a uniqueness that makes them able to excel. They still make efforts towards improvement, but it is motivated by the feeling that they are the ‘only’ one who can do anything whatever problem is in the script.

With the Eastern hero, based upon the character leading the evening’s film and a few others that I could pull to mind, the protagonist is not so… divine, we’ll say. Though they often hold a special nature or uniqueness like most hero characters do, it doesn’t seem to be that one ‘thing’ about them that leads to success. It seems to me, that it is the effort towards the goal that is of the higher value. It’s not that they are the only ones capable of doing something about the problem presented. It’s that must try. Perhaps if they don’t, no one else will, but that doesn’t seem to be the concern. The effort of doing the right thing is what is of value, even if it just be that effort alone.

Now, that East v. West thing is probably, most definitely bullshit. As I was recanting the debate and transcribing it here, I thought of many examples where the traits crossed over and exist in cultures all over the world. But hey, Irish whiskey and stout, dude. Makes you think you’re a poet, or something.

That’s not the point, though.

Because those are two types of heroes, where ever in the world they might come from. And hell, even fiction and non-fiction alike. And if I am to understand this correctly, such stories featuring such heroes, are told to inspire. Right? Yeah? Yeah.

So, what is of value enough in such stories that it should be brought into the actual world we see, spilled out in front of us?

I don’t know about you, so I’ll speak for me.

And I suppose right there might be an example of the idea of exceptionalism that exists underneath that consciousness that I wear. Why do this at all if I didn’t think it would be consumed widely and affectionately? That must mean that I believe that I’m better at this than most, right? That the words I throw have weight enough to travel.

Yet.

I quite strongly believe that I am not the only one who can do something about the problems written into our script. Because I do not believe it can be just one to fix the woes of humanity. Particularly not me. There are things I can do and there are things I cannot. Not a thing I can do right now outside of personal behavior to fix energy crises, for example. The climate, and such topics. I am void of most scientific and mathematical ability that would make someone able to crunch some numbers about the physical world in a way to sculpt it on a broad scale. My science education did not pass further than the average expected ability for high school. Even though I did take two science classes in college, they weren’t meant to teach you much.

However, I’ve met many folks who can do such things. I’ve met folks who are capable of incredible feats. All sorts of amazing things. Many of them in modesty.

So, we do what we can. And that shouldn’t be taken as it normally is. Do what you can should not be the minimum. It should be the opposite. Doing as much as you can means do as much as you are totally capable of. Whatever it is that you may be capable of this. An average science student and a remedial mathlete I may have been, but I finished high school having a good chuck of college credits for English and can’t recall getting lower that a 90 on any history test I’d ever taken. I really can’t remember much below 95’s. They moved so slow in some of those classes. Just read through the book during class. You’ll pass them and no one bothers the kid who is truly reading the book instead of trying to use it as camouflage for some forbidden behavior.

I also earn my living as a tradesman of shorts. I do this writing nonsense for free, as of now. My contribution to the community, void of charge.

But the trades are what make societies spin. And though everyone should be a scholar in some capacity, the water flows from the faucet because of humans turning wrenches. It ain’t magic. And my trade has a good bit of helping people when they’re dire. Emergencies, they call them.

But just doing the job I’m paid to do is not enough to rest on my laurels. Fuck the laurels. Old men get to sit and think all the day long. Young men must move and think.

So, I write. And Sunday just happens to be a great day for it. And if you read, I hope there was something in there. I truly do. If not, I’m going to keep trying. Because I’m not as unique as I think, but I certainly try my best.

And fuck it.

So, you know. I’m single, ladies.