What heroes may ponder when they are tired of saving the world of its problems...

Hero (noun): someone who fights for a cause.

Day after day, a hero sees that his days of fighting the good cause will never end. There appears to be too much evil in the world that will continue to exist past his lifetime. So, like most comic book heroes, one usually ends up living an lonely existence while fighting the good cause. The hero eventually becomes misunderstood with their good intentions as time goes on. If a hero fails to rise to the occassion of one person during their time of need, their integrity as a hero becomes questioned. The hero is eventually shunned by the very same people that he sworn to help or protect.

To loose the faith of the people that you would give you own life for to help, usually causes a hero to wonder why should he continue to fight the good cause for them. When a hero gets tired of saving the world of its problems, what's next? When this phenomena occurs, the antihero must have finally gotten the upper hand on his nemesis to the point that their roles seems reversed (hero becomes the bad guy, antihero becomes the good guy). And now, the antihero is able to do as he pleases with the citizens of the world without interferences from the hero. The hero basically becomes an outcast. And, the hero begins to experience a new phase of consciousness.

A consciousness where he (as a hero) is pondering his future in the world. During this phase of a hero's consciousness, the hero begins to believe that the world would be a better place without him around. So, the hero puts away his crime fighting uniform and the mask that hid his identity. And, the hero try to live a normal life. The hero is now living without a purpose other than for himself. The hero steadily becomes nonexistent to the citizens of the world. The hero begins to not care about the affairs of his fellow citizens and their daily problems or crisis. The world may even believe that they no longer need the hero at all to save them.

The outkasted hero can now be free to do what he wants with his life. He can attempt to pursue a life of normalcy (love, a career, home, etc.). He can give into his dark side and become a vengeful enemy of the world (antihero). Or, he can give up everything that he once held true. Most of the time, an outkasted hero must hit rock bottom in personal torture before he attempts to find the true purpose of his calling in life. From life's experiences up until now, the hero agrees with himself that IT is easier to be bad in nature than good. IT is easier to dissapoint his family and friends than to always try to help them with their problems or delimma. And, IT is easier to remove himself from the world than to try to continue to exist in it.

A hero constantly asks himself what is the point of even getting out of bed every morning if the world acts as if they don't need a hero anymore. And, the questions never went away for the hero: What is his purpose in life? What is his true calling in life!?! Is it his destiny to be unwanted, unloved, and undeserving of a happier life without someone special? Is he the only one that even feel this way? Is eveything that he has every done with his life, thus far, was for nothing? Where do he go from here with his life if he chooses to stop being a hero?

I believe that every hero must eventually come to a crossroads in their life. I believe that I am now at my crossroads. And, I am afraid to pick which road to follow to find out where I am going with my life as a hero or not. One thing for sure, I know that I am not a bad guy. I know I have friends and love ones that believe in me. And, I know that I am working in a worthwhile career that few are not able to enjoy. So, why do I feel like I have failed myself short in life in some kind of way? In the comic book world, heroes cannot afford to wonder about such things in their head. Such thoughts are never healthy in a hero's life. Such thoughts causes a hero to loose focus on what he is trying to accomplish with his missions. Such thoughts can cause a hero to hesitate during the midst of a crisis he is dealing with. And, such thoughts may lead a hero to feel that they are unappreciated by the very same people he once respected, or trying to save.

When a hero enters into this phase of his thoughts, the self-loathing of being a hero is surely to follow next in his mind: I am so tired of being the one to come to in order to solve eveyone's problems. I am so tired of being the one to come to in order to fix anything that may be malfunctioning. I am so tired of putting on a happy face even when someone has wronged me. I am so tired of being misunderstood by everyone. I am so tired of being called a "goody two shoes". I am so tired of not being able to cross over the line between good and evil. I am just so tired of being tired. And, I do not know where to go from here with my life.

I really believe this what heroes may ponder when they are tired of saving the world of its problems...