I’m sure we have all seen a few superhero movies in our time. While Batman and Superman fly around and stop crime, they also have a day job too. While I wouldn’t mind being Bruce Wayne even without the ability to turn into Batman, would you want to be Clark Kent all day? I don’t think too many people would relish the thought of being an average reporter, and always falling for a woman that you can’t really have. However, that is the life for most of us, and sometimes we wish we had that escape.
We all have more than one side to our personality. Sure, we might be one guy at work, or one guy when we are around the kids, but we all have a side that we like to let loose every so often. We all like to have an adventure every so often, and just be ourselves without having to worry about the consequences, or have to worry about what people will think of us after we are done. That is where our alter-ego comes in.
An alter-ego is just something that we can do to escape the real world for a little while. If you have ever watched The Simpson’s episode where he becomes Max Power, and all of a sudden everyone loves him. It isn’t that his name change was what made people love him, it was just that his whole persona changed with the name. Homer Simpson went from a bumbling idiot to a suave, smooth individual. He was edgy, and would love to start a fight, as long as the fighting never started.
Alter-ego’s allow us to just go out and be ourselves for awhile. Maybe we just need a change of scenery from a mental perspective, and just forget who we really are, and allow us to be what we want to be. Perhaps you aren’t the coolest of guys, or maybe you are trying to become a little more confident. Steve Jones might not be a cool guy, but when he turns into “El Conquistador” he all of a sudden gets anything he wants. He just lives life how he wants to live life.
The most important thing about an alter-ego is to keep it in check. Becoming an alter-ego after work, or out with your buddies is one thing. Don’t use it at work, or with the wife though unless you are just being funny, because otherwise it loses all appeal. The alter-ego is an escape from reality, not a good way to all of a sudden change what you are, and what you do as a person.
Being Clark Kent all day is certainly not the lifestyle that we dream of. We want to be Superman instead, and save the world from crime every night. However, we are all Clark Kent whether we choose to believe it or not, but the wish to be extraordinary is something that we all share. That is where the attempts at alter-ego’s come in, and hopefully you can just have fun with it, and not get too carried away.
