Past the Point of No Return

As The Phantom would say, “Why so silent, good messieurs? Did you think that I had left you for good? Have you missed me, good messieurs? I have written you an opera!”

But, to be honest, it is not the Phantom who has returned, nor is it an opera that has been written. Instead it is Maestro who has returned, and it is an entry that has been written!

Yes, that is correct. Our hero Maestro has returned. His, um, Dark Side, shall we say, had taken over for about a month. And really, what better month for Phantom to take over than January, notoriously one of the most depressing months there is. But enough of that, he is no longer in charge. Maestro has taken the reigns once again so everything should be getting better. We are past the point of no return – Maestro is back, a new month is upon us…

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. A new month. We have just completed the first month of 2005. Isn’t that exciting? Now we’re onto February…And you know what happens in February? Groundhog Day!! Ahem, but seriously, the main event of the year’s second month is of course Valentine’s Day. One of the most overrated holidays of all time. Sure, it’s fine when you have a fine lass (or lad) to spend it with…But for those who are single, it just emphasizes their loneliness.

And as you may know, even Maestro himself is part of the single world. Ergo you would think he isn’t too thrilled. But y’know what? For those who are single…if something is going to happen to them to change that…what better day for it to happen on than Valentine’s Day? Well, you never know. But anyway, such idealist ideas are not why Maestro is anticipating a good Valentine’s Day. Rather, it is because…actually I’m not sure. Perhaps Maestro just wants to approach some things with a more positive attitude. Also, he and his mate Sam Moodey will be filming another one of their famous videos for school. They haven’t done that for a while, so it will be nice to get back to the craft which they love so much. This one will be a Valentine’s Day themed video…to the tune of Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl. What fun eh?

Ahem, but that is enough about Valentine’s Day. Perhaps you are still wondering what the whole deal is behind the Maestro/Phantom incident. Well, allow me to explain. Maestro, the Hero, is like anyone else. He has a yin and a yang. A dark and a light. There must be both good and evil to have balance. But, unlike anyone else…Maestro as you know him is actually 3 separate entities.

There is Phantom, the Ghost, who you have already gotten familiar with. He encompasses sadness, anger, jealousy, hate, and all other emotions along those lines. All he cares about is himself. He often thinks about things a little too much, too. He is like the Mind, you might say. A person’s mind is a dangerous place, y’know. But it is nonetheless a terrible thing to waste. Another characteristic of Phantom is his inactivity. He spends so much time thinking about his problems and being sad that he doesn’t really do much of anything. Overall just not a fun guy to be around.

Now on the other hand there is Thespian, the Actor, who you are not familiar with. Things haven’t been quite bright enough for him to want to stick around. You see, he encompasses happiness, humor, kindness, love, and all other emotions along those lines. He is a very active guy, as any actor should be. But unfortunately, even though he always has good intentions, he often doesn’t really think things through. He is like the Heart, I guess. A person’s heart is essential…but people can do foolish things when they think with just their heart. Thinking is the mind’s department, remember? But come on, everyone has their imperfections…And besides, Thespian may not think for himself…but he is always thinking of others. And he has a great sense of humor too! Being around him can make anyone feel better.

And then of course there is Maestro, the Hero, who you are VERY familiar with. Maestro is the result of Phantom and Thespian’s strengths combined. He is like the Soul. He is smart, but he doesn’t think about things too much. He is funny, but he is serious when necessary. He can be a nice guy…but he doesn’t let people walk all over him. He can love, he can hate. He has his good moments and his bad moments. He is the perfect person.

But there cannot be perfect people. And that is why he is only part of the trinity of Mind, Heart, and Soul. As much as we all would love to be just like what Maestro is supposed to be, perfectly balanced, it can never be achieved. One of the others, either the Mind or the Heart, will always be working a little harder than the other, causing imbalance. Maestro cannot be perfect – It’s just like anyone else. So really, I should not refer to our Hero as “Maestro,” but rather something more along the lines of “Maestro, featuring a hint of Phantom.” It is never 100% untainted Maestro. But for the most part, it works.

However, the trouble starts when one of the two opposing sides becomes too strong. You saw what happened when Phantom took over – mass darkness and gloom! So logically it would seem a good thing if Thespian took over. Sure, things would be bright and humorous, but nothing would get done. If Thespian thought for any length of time, it would likely ruin his good mood. This is partly why he doesn’t think much. Here, let’s see what would happen if we let Phantom decide what should be done about Gretchen. He wouldn’t do a thing. Instead he would just sit in his lair and cry about his loneliness. If she got near him, she’d be scared off by his grim nature. Pathetic. Now what about Thespian? He would be far too quick to action. His overly nice-guy antics would be a little too much for Gretchen to handle. And come on, every lass likes a little humor..but they like some seriousness too.

It is best to avoid such extremes. And fortunately, things usually stay more balanced than that…a little more Maestro-y. And that is where we are right now. Yep…life is just Maestro-y. But to be honest…I can’t help but wish Thespian would show up a little more…We could all use a good laugh.

Thespian: Well, Maestro’s pretty funny, y’know. But looks aren’t everything! Hehe.
Ahem. I’m sorry…That was mean…

Indeed. Well there are many more things I could and should talk about, but they will have to wait for another entry. Heh, I’ve piqued your curiosity, haven’t I? Oh well, stinks to be you. So until I actually do save the world from schizophrenic Heroes…

The Universe Can Wait