Role Models

You know, I believe in role models. The kind of people you look up to with a hint of admiration and a tinge of envy. That driving force that allows you to make the extra stride, to walk the extra mile, to be just a bit better in the hopes that someday you might be as good if not better.

My current role model is Godzilla.

I know what you might be thinking, but hey, we all have our quirks. Godzilla is a towering behemoth, the kind of dude who stands head and shoulders (and ankles) above the rest who stands to say "I'm a giant flippin' lizard. It's who I am. Accept me because I can't change to make you happy. It's not my style." And we do. We accept that 'Zil is and will be the lizard he is within, and no amount of firepower will change him.

Pretty cool, eh? Well, I thought so for years.

It's the same with King Kong. Big monkey. Huge monkey. Monkey with Attitude. They dragged him from his home yet they couldn't take the primal instinct out of him. He is the monkey within. That was why I was disappointed with King Kong vs. Godzilla (okay, for the "purists" who want "real titles", it's "Kingukongu tai Gojira" (1962)). Two creatures with the courage to challenge the world who are forced into a Texas Cage Match just because Tokyo wanted to cash in on the spectacle. In the end, though, there is no winner or loser. Kong and Godzilla leave the fight without killing each other. In the American version, Kong roars then swims away. In the Japanese version, both roars are heard.

Yes, that is how it should be. We shouldn't be forced to fight for our right to be ourselves. Next time you feel down or just want to feel good about yourself, try this: Roar. Roar like the lizard inside breaking free and telling off the world. Then smile, content in the knowing that you're the only one who really understands why. Heck, shake your tail if you wish, but let the 'Zilla in you ring through. It's weird, it's fun, and most importantly, it's a way to tell the world you are not going to change to make them happy. It comes from within.

Return to the round table.
Back to the shell.