Rebuilding Rob

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

Have you ever been the villain in someone else’s story?

I’m absolutely certain that I’ve been the villain in somebody else’s story at some point. In fact, I think if you’ve never been the villain, you’re probably doing something wrong in life.

But it hasn’t always been like this for me. I’ve talked before about how I tend to be non-confrontational in general. In fact, I would say that for a long time, I was non-confrontational to default. Sometimes too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing. Sometimes being non-confrontational ends up getting you into confrontations. Worst of all, sometimes going out of your way to avoid conflict means you end up getting walked all over .

Even as a young kid, I’m sure that there were times that I was perceived as the villain. Like most kids, I’ve been in my sheriff fist fights. Someone went well, some not so much. But inevitably, everyone is gonna see themselves as being in the rain; and they will view the other person as being in the wrong. So I’m sure that I’ve been on the “other side“ of a lot of conflicts.

But I think most of all, I really came to understand this notion of occasionally being the villain, as some of my personal relationships came to an end. I have no doubt that both X1 and X2 have painted me as a monster to their families, to their friends, and whoever would listen to them. God knows I’ve done the same to them.

I know in some of my recent relationships – specifically those where I’ve initiated the break-up, I’ve been viewed as the villain – and probably continue to be seen as such.

And this isn’t a matter of ego like “Yeah, I’m the bad guy”. In fact, this is probably the peak of modesty and humility when we realize someone, somewhere is going to perceive us to be the bad guy. In fact, it’s arrogant to think that we are always the good guy. If we assume that we’re always seen as the good guys, then we are also assuming we are always in the right – and that everybody else agrees with us.

AS AN ASIDE – What does it say about the current state of my romantic life that today is Valentine’s Day, I am talking to 2 different women, and I’m relieved that I don’t have to spend time with either of them this weekend? Just putting it out there…

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Acknowledge Me: The Simple Art of Being Seen
• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision

The article “Feeling Harvey Dent” first appeared in Rebuilding Rob.