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This
week's answer:
Guarding
Yourself from the "Crossing Guard"
Every now and then, as you're
making your way on a particular path, you're going to
encounter a naysayer (not "neigh" and it's not
usually a horse. Not that it couldn't be a
horse. It's just that the naysayer usually comes
in some kind of human form. Unless it's a
horse that has an issue with you. You have to
wonder if Silver might have had one with the Lone
Ranger, he always riding Silver hard and being shot at,
risking Silver also being shot. And what was all
that "Hi-o, Silver" malarkey? Silver had
to have gotten really tired of having that shoved in his
ears all the time. "Hi-o, this!")
The naysayer can almost be seen as
a crossing guard, holding a sign that says "go back
the way you came. Turn around immediately.
Doom ahead." And many do take the crossing
guard/naysayer's advice and do a 180 and head back the
way he or she came and never continue on towards their
original destination, at which there is plenty of reward
and good things awaiting someone who reaches
it.
Now, this naysayer is usually quite
convincing and often implies or outright tells you that
he is on your side and is looking out for your good (and
he actually might think he is -- in a deluded sort of
way). Or, he might be one of the type of naysayers
who get some kind of kick prophesizing doom and pointing
out gloom whenever he gets the chance, enjoying
enlisting others in his Everything's Gotten Worse
club. And we often believe him. Why
not? He's just trying to tell us the truth, trying
to protect us from being let down when we find out the
"real" truth of where we are. He thinks
he's being of service, preparing us for the worst
outcome when our innocence will be shattered and
discover that pot at the end of the rainbow holds
counterfeit gold, and find out that the romantic comedy
we think we're in is actually a horror picture.
(Hey. That's not a bad idea for a film.)
Tag
line:
He walked in,
thinking he was in a romantic comedy.
But found out that
it was a... horror
show.
The title:
THE
CROSSING GUARD!
Here's something you might want to
remember when your next naysayer appears: He's as
lost as you are. Regardless of his
"credentials" and honors and awards and who he
knows. In fact, he's probably even more
lost than you are. Or, and this is a little more
stark and possibly shocking: He consciously or
unconsciously is trying to make sure that there is one
less talented, energetic, aware, artist/screenwriter in
his world. One less threat to deal with. One
less powerful force that could absolutely topple his
already-unsteady castle built on the sands of
negativity, greed, fear, self-loathing, world-loathing,
and self-doubt. Great foundation for your next
house, huh? A house you can build with your earnings
from making a big screenplay sale.
Those who will not find the courage
and look into themselves and face their deepest fears
and doubts and negative aspects often have the tendency
to project them on to others, on to the world, on to
whatever part of their world they live in. Like
the entertainment business.
You -- and only you -- decide how
you're going to be and progress in your field of
choice. Leave the naysayers to their work and
"don't pay 'em no mind." Don't pay them
anything. It's too costly.
But be careful: Be sure to
look both ways when you're crossing the street.
DcH
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