Heroes + Villains + Everything In Between

Good vs Evil = Me + You + Everyone We Know

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

“In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose – what we want most to be we are.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

This quote has been ringing in my head lately, reminding me that no one is completely good or bad, right or wrong.

Sometimes, we’re the hero. Sometimes, the villain. Often, we’re both at once. Human.

In The Dark Night, Batman says he can be whatever Gotham needs him to be—hero, vigilante, scapegoat. He didn’t cling to being seen as good; he clung to purpose. And maybe that’s the point.

Life isn’t about perfect morality or always being the “good guy.” It’s about navigating the push and pull of our natures and choosing, moment by moment, who we want and need to be or become.

We all have that power. In the heat of an argument, we can lash out or listen.

When faced with injustice, we can act or stay silent.

We’re shaped not just by the grand gestures but by the quiet choices that build our character. And yes, sometimes—far too often in my case—we get it wrong. We fall short. We hurt others. We do and say things we can’t undo or unsay.

But every new day hands us a new chance to recalibrate, to rewrite our story.

Historians may tell their versions of our lives. The media may craft their narratives. Our nears, dears, and queers will all have their opinions and points of view.
But at the end of the day, the only one who can truly define us is…us.

We are heroes.
We are villains.
We are everything in between.
We are shades of light and dark.
We are shades of grey in a world of black and white.

The war between good and evil within us?
It’s not about victory—it’s about the dance.

So ask yourself: What do you want most to be today?

Because, like Stevenson said, “…What we want most to be we are.”

So choose wisely.

Best wishes for more love, peace, and understanding….
Clint

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• I’m Suing The FBI & DOJ (LegalEagle)

• Shannel’s Christmas Workshop + Portrait Of A Queen (RuPaul’s Drag Race)

• We Need to Talk About Why No One Cares About the Death of A Health Insurance CEO (The Kavernacle)

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ON THIS DAY = DECEMBER 12

BIRTHDAYS

• 1805 = Henry Wells = American co-founder of Wells Fargo and American Express

• 1821 = Gustave Flaubert = French novelist 🌈

• 1863 = Edvard Munch = Norwegian painter 🌈

• 1893 = Edward G. Robinson = American actor

• 1915 = Frank Sinatra = American singer, actor, and producer

• 1922 = José Sarria = American drag queen and activist 🌈

• 1923 = Bob Barker = American game show host and producer

• 1924 = Ed Koch = American politician (105th Mayor of New York City) 🌈

• 1927 = Robert Noyce = American inventor and Intel Corporation co-founder

• 1928 = Helen Frankenthaler = American painter

• 1932 = Bob Pettit = American basketball player and coach

• 1937 = Connie Francis = American singer

• 1940 = Dionne Warwick = American singer

• 1945 = Tony Williams = American drummer, composer, and producer

• 1947 = Wings Hauser = American actor

• 1949 = Bill Nighy = English actor

• 1952 = Cathy Rigby = American gymnast and actor

• 1957 = Sheila E. = American singer and musician

• 1970 = Jennifer Connelly = American actor

• 1970 = Regina Hall = American actor

• 1972 = Brandon Teena = American subject of Boys Don't Cry 🌈

• 1975 = Mayim Bialik = American actress, neuroscientist, and author

• 1996 = Lucas Hedges = American actor

EVENTS

• 1792 = Ludwig van Beethoven receives his first lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn.

• 1917 = Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.

• 1946 = United Nations accepts six Manhattan blocks as a gift from John D. Rockefeller Jr.

• 1969 = Police enter the Continental Baths in NYC and arrest three patrons and three employees, charging the patrons with lewd and lascivious acts and the employees with criminal mischief. The raid is only the first of several on the Continental for the following weeks.

• 1970 = A struggling young pianist and songwriter takes a day job performing at NYC’s Continental Baths. His name is Barry Manilow.

• 2000 = SCOTUS releases its 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore, settling the recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election in George W. Bush’s favor, handing his the presidency.

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PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Oil-painting is a developed technique. Why go backwards?”
Edvard Munch

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