Positively Assertive

This post came about as I pondered a comment made on this blog by 'The Artful Dodger', who was kind enough to say that what I needed to be was a bit more 'positively assertive'.

I've given this a bit of thought, by considering the sort of public image that I like to portray; a very altruistic, mild-mannered sort of bloke (yes, that 'Superman' reference was very intentional...).

I then compare that image with what we know of the Son of Man. So many people paint themselves a picture of the Lord as "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild", absolutely forgetting the fact that here was a man who transformed his world, who was never afraid to challenge contemporary thinking, who chased out the money changers from the temple with a whip in His hand... is that assertive enough for you?

So, what about me? Why show the world this image of a meek, wouldn't-say-boo-to-a-goose kind of guy? My Clark Kent alter ego.

I use the term 'alter ego' because there is another side to me. A wild, slightly weird individual that doesn't see the light of day very often. He's a bit crazy, is very passionate about what he believes, and wants to change the world. He's very assertive - perhaps even dangerous - but because he's rather crazy I keep him on a very tight rein. He has upset people before. Occasionally he peeks out. You see his work in this blog from time to time.

It is appropriate that I would use a Clark Kent reference to initially describe myself. I suppose it's on the top of my mind as I saw 'Man Of Steel' for the first time the other day. And it struck me that we never truly saw the Clark Kent persona as a grown man - the film centred more on Kal-El far more than Clark. Apparently, Zack Snyder's take on the Superman legend deliberately shifted the focus of the film to emphasise the Kryptonian.

Kal-El uses a public face – Superman – so he can work, save the world. However, in order to live a normal life, he also changed his Clark Kent identity (given to him by his adoptive parents) into a 'everyman' figure.

Are either of these personas actually the real Kal-El? Or are each just facets of the same person...

Back to the question...

Do I need to be more 'positively assertive'?

Perhaps I do. Perhaps I need to reveal more of my wild alter ego. He has no problem with being assertive.... he wants to change the world... and he loves his Lord with a passion.