Last session we began to explore in-depth the developing SuperHero Character 'Fr. Esteban. 'A few points of reflection regarding this character to get us started here. Yes, ‘Fr. Esteban’ is flawed. We looked at some of his perceived character defects. We looked at his criminal history. We discussed his temper, his predisposition for profanity and the fact that ‘Fr. Esteban is just down right arrogant. We also covered the fact ‘Fr. Esteban’ has Gangster Proclivities that aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Redeemed sinner by grace notwithstanding, let’s just say, ‘Fr. Esteban is just not your typical Superhero.
‘Fr. Esteban’ is a character who, over the years, endured the ‘Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune’ I have felt. As I have struggled to place in the rear view mirror a childhood marred by a physically and verbally abusive Father, mistreatment by childhood friends who called me Nigger so much I thought it was my middle name, and always being made to feel less than, second class, weak, afraid to speak up, finding it easier to grin and bear it in order to get ahead, my pain, shame, sorrow and sickness have metastasized.
“…The routes of our lives have roots…” - Unknown
“…I bear the wounds of all the battles I avoided…” - Fernando Pessoa
This is the fertile ground that helped produce the often-mendacious character ‘Fr. Esteban.’ This is the ground that has helped spawn for me ‘Fr. Esteban’ as a protecting figure. I have grown to count on ’Fr. Esteban’ to declare when enough is enough, when things just ain’t fair, when danger in the form of people, places or things is near, when evil or injustice needs to be reciprocated, when I have been slighted, put down, looked down upon, judged, cheated, subjected to scorn or just internalized forms of Niggerizing Self-Hatred.
Surprise, ‘Fr. Esteban’ is a flawed SuperHero at best (Smile). But thank God, none of these facts disqualify him or any of us from the wild ride nor the adventurous journey that is a PHusion Magical Transformational Journey. None of us are disqualified from the journey based on where we have been, what we have done, nor perhaps by what was done to us, where we stand or sit at this moment nor the journey to what we are on the road to becoming, having been created in the Image of God. Nor do such facts disqualify any of our Cast of Characters from becoming Disruptive SuperHeros in the Open Narrative StoryWar World of PHusion.
“…Heir to the heavens beneath the skies. Yet, he falls, he falls to rise. Stumbling, stumbling beaten back, holding still to the upward track. Playing his part in creations plan, God like in Wisdom, this is Man…” - Unknown
The question. Does the character ‘Fr. Esteban’ have anything to tell us about the nature of a Marketable Franchise Property (MFP)? There are three important aspects of MFP's we want to briefly cover for this session. There are three constitutive aspects to all MFP’s. They are the MFP Story Past, the MFP Story Present and the MFP Story Future.
We all have a past. There is a past to every MFP Story. When we Embrace the Secret Gift of Our Faults, we give voice to our past and give voice to the past of our MFP.
Embracing the Gift of my Faults helped me to give ‘Fr. Esteban’ a Voice. This Voice is the pain I have carried inside of me for years without getting help. Naming this character and telling his story is giving Voice to my, pain, shame, scaring and wounds, hurts habits and hang-ups. This is not just my personal battle or struggle but part of the De-Niggerization that is a part of what it means to be Authentically Human. This is Bearing Witness to the Transformational Power of our Ancestral Connectedness and giving Voice to the Voicelessness of the least, the lost and the lonely, the Wretched of the Earth and the Disinherited Cast of Characters in all of us.
We all have room to grow towards what we are seeking to become. Some refer to this a as our having work to do. Some refer to it as a journey to undertake. The name or label notwithstanding, it happens in the present and in the now. MFP’s provide all of us with Present or Now Agency for our Cast of Characters (C of C's). MFP’s provide a narrative platform storytelling world to set our C of C's on the Journey of Agency, the Heroic Journey to Become.
As sure as we all have C of C’s, we also have Allies in our Struggle. Who are your underground Allies in the Struggle? We all have a StoryWar World of Peeps out there seeking a word of hope from us and trying to also find their way home. This is the role of Agency and the Story of Disruptive SuperHero in all of Us. You want to see and experience some of the drama of your life transformed into power and creativity, travel the C of C Journey of Agency. This is an adventure and a StoryWar World Struggle that can make the Conflicts of Life both empowering and enriching.
MFP’s are also the Narration of the Dialogue of our C of C’s as they seek to become for us Congruent Internal Partners (CIP's), become the Great Band of our Future Life Story.
The Open Narrative StoryWar World Journey from C of C’s to CIP’s is about taking the journey of Critical Historical Self-Inventory and the Journey of learning to Love and Embrace the Secret Gift of Our Faults. How do we find the strength, courage and capacity to journey into such a future? There will be several Stops on this Journey. We will list several here and explore them in more detail next time:
1. Willingness to Tell the Truth about Lying
2. Willingness to Face down our Fears
3. Willingness to Lead out of Darkness
4. Willingness to Identify and flip the Collateral Beauty of Our Past
5. Willingness to Obey Two of the Greatest Spiritual Commandments--
Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, Mind and Soul and Love thy Neighbor as thy Self.
This is the MFP Journey of Embracing the Neighbor of One’s Cast of Characters and Moving Self to Move the World. This is the MFP journey of Bearing Witness to our power to transform and Become. This is the MFP as a vehicle for sharing with the world the Artistic Masterpiece of our Disruptively Heroic and Humorous Open Narrative Original Story Content and Voice over being Imitative Copies or mere Echoes of Ourselves. This is a MFP as the medium for sharing our Story of Embraced Unconditional Love and telling the Story of Unarmed Truth!! Until next time, may you be well!
