ProfAllister wrote:I think I see the difference here, and it is a good point. And, frankly, it IS something other well-intentioned people say that kind of bothers me.rydiafan wrote:I should state before i continue ... i don't claim what i said to be the truth or factual ... it just statements of my personal experiences and opinion
When i had my issues with being anti social , shyness and maybe even depression ( not sure about depression .. never got the help i probably needed at the time ) plus i had a learning problem ( anything vocally was a chore to do and i wasn't as quick mentally )
I needed some help to break the social problems ( didn't have like any friends at the time mostly because i felt sorry for myself ).... so i turned to video games to try to inspire me ( mostly final fantasy characters ) ... and much as i try to be/act like them ... i didn't get anywhere in my personal growth ... this went on for almost 3 years ... i basically lost touch with reality ... then long story short i was put into a place where i had to be more social and blah blah blah
It just my personal experiences but from myself and other i personally know getting inspiration from characters of fiction never worked ... even if i wanted to believe that there might be merit to the idea ... my own logic tells my ( from past experiences ) that its not gonna happen
hope that explains why i feel that way about the topic
You shouldn't be attempting to emulate the characters. Even the most perfectly written character is still not a person. When you find a character you like, or a character you dislike, you need to turn it back on yourself. Why do you like the character? Why do you dislike the character? Ghandi was a bit of an asshole (complete tangent, but he was), but he's attributed with a pretty solid quote: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Or something to that effect. The precise words don't matter.
You can't be anyone else. What works for other people won't necessarily work for you. But that's the whole point of art. Art gives you a sounding board. You engage the art, and the art reflects yourself back at you. Everyone has a unique experience when they encounter art, because the individual is a crucial element of the experience of art. When there is a resonance, it means that you see some sort of truth in the art - that is, you see something about yourself reflected. This is the beginning.
When you find that resonance, you then need to look at yourself and try to figure out what it means. For some people, they get an idea right away, even if they can't logically explain it. Others have to wrestle with themselves to figure out what exactly that resonance means.
When someone says that something inspired them, it means that they had an encounter, the encounter resonated, and they discovered something about themselves, generally something they wanted to change. The stronger the resonance, the more initial commitment someone is likely to have, of course. But again, the change is about yourself, and it needs to come from within.
You should not expect Emi to inspire you to run. You are not Emi.
You should not expect Shizune to inspire you to be diligent and hardworking. You are not Shizune.
You should not expect Lilly to inspire you to be more caring. You are not Lilly.
You should not expect Hanako to inspire you to enjoy reading. You are not Hanako.
You should not expect Rin to inspire you to become an artist. You are not Rin.
You should not expect Misha to inspire you to be unfailingly loyal. You are not Misha.
You should not expect that any of these girls will actually be right for you. You see them at their best and their worst, but you rarely see in between.
However, if you feel something, anything, from experiencing this, you should look to yourself, and find out why you felt what you felt. And you will learn something new about yourself.
And now, out of courtesy to the thread originator and the people actually interested in the subject, I humbly request that we end the threadjack. If this is worth discussing further, it deserves its own thread.
He is completely right.
Yes, I am inspired by Emi to run and I like it, but by the end of the day, I am who I am and I won't change for anyone but only for myself. I know pretty well the difference between reality and fantasy so you won't see me (like them otaku freaks) doing my best to marry a 2D character or trying to be someone who they're not. We are just inspired by things to do other things and there's nothing wrong with that.
So now that I have said everything on my mind, I end my statement and humbly suggest you read everything that ProfAllister said before you fight again. thanks doods! (and I hope I don't get flamed for this...)
But at least with you around, our supple Japanese women won't be raped by lesbians. 
Hope I'm not boring...
