Would you?

WOULD YOU?
There are two men walking towards a very popular comic-book store from opposite sides. Yet, as they are both walking they notice each other. The man coming from the right, Nelson, sees that the man coming from the left, Wendell, is wearing a similar style t-shirt to his own. Now they both realize what is at stake. They stop, all of their senses heighten, their eyes focus, their ears listen, and their hearts begin to pound out of their chests. For both of these men know what each other is after, and both of these men know that only one of them is going to get it. Now there are two possible ends here, what should happen (Option 1) and what is really going to happen (Option 2). Let’s have a look at both.

Option 1: Nelson and Wendell stop and introduce themselves. They realize how much they have in common and a friendship begins to grow between them. They decide to get something to eat close by and talk for nearly three hours about each other’s love for the prize in question. Now after their talk they begin to have a serious discourse about what they truly want the prize for and the reasons for it. Nelson presents his case that he has been a fan all of his life and that the acquisition of such an item would only cement his status as a true fan. Wendell, on the other hand, states that he is buying the gift for his ill father because he had to sell his copy during a financially thin time for him and his family. Realizing that Wendell’s reasons are more sentimental than his own, Nelson decides to let Wendell acquire the prize because he knows that ultimately, a true fan does not need material things for him to know that he is a true fan. After discussing the matter, Nelson walks back home and Wendell buys the prize and in the end, the situation leaves both men happy. However, this story would be boring as all hell and is incredibly far from the truth. So here is what really happens.

Option 2. Nelson and Wendell acknowledge each other’s presence. Nelson opens his jacket a bit more to show his colors while Wendell untucks his shirt to flash his. The two men begin to walk slowly forward, keeping their eyes on each other ready for any sudden movements. As they are within five feet from the door they stop. The showdown begins. Nelson’s eyes become tense and his face stern, his lip curls inward and his nostrils flare. Wendell plants his feet and stretches his hands and the cracking of his fingers makes the noise of a true gaming champion. The two men stare at each other as they begin to circle around the door, waiting to see who will make the first move. Wendell’s foot fidgets a tiny bit and that becomes the spark to the fire. Nelson lunges toward the door so fast his feet do not touch the ground. As he goes for the door handle Wendell’s hand ninja chops the joint connecting his arm to his forearm and his grip on the handle is gone. He grabs his arm in pain while Wendell makes his move for the door. As the door opens slightly Wendell is tackled to the ground and the two men begin to wrestle to the best of their abilities. But considering that these nerds have only fought in cyber space and board games, their battle is far from epic. Wendell pins Nelson and proceeds to kindly slap him across his chest. Nelson winces with pain as he shoves his hands on Wendell’s face to accidentally knock off his glasses. At this moment the two men abide by their guild code of conduct and return their glasses back on their faces. When their glasses are firmly nestled on their noses the battle again commences. Nelson strikes Wendell’s shoulder forcing him to budge just enough to free up the door. As he goes for the handle he is tripped up and they both collide on the floor. With his hand still on the handle bar Nelson kicks Wendell in the face and causes his nose to bleed. Scared at the sight of blood Wendell concedes defeat and runs crying to a local bathroom to get some napkins. At this point Nelson marches into the store and walks up to the woman at the counter.
“Excuse me Madam; I would like to buy your copy of the first X-Men comic ever made please,” and to the victor go the spoils.
Now it can be sure that this story strikes you as odd. Because who in their right mind would battle over something so trivial. But as you read this ask yourself this one question. If there was only one copy of the one thing you love more than anything else in this world, would you honestly sit down with the other adversary and talk it over? Or would you do what you have to do in order to get yours? So here is the real question, Would you do what it takes? Would you do anything for it? Think about what you want more than anything and ask yourself, Would you?