The Line
“It always starts with one — Batman”
The scene above is from the famous Injustice issues where Superman and Batman are arguing whether killing criminals are justifiable. Superman who has lost his son and his loved one, argues that it is. One death to save millions. Batman on the other hand still holds on to his principle to not ever kill cause once you’ve done it, there’s no difference between heroes and villains. “Once you’ve crossed the line, you will never be the same”, said Batman. That’s what happened to Superman after he killed the Joker, thus began the clashing of two ideas that start the story of Injustice.
The line is an imaginary construct that represents a boundary. “You’re getting out of line” is an English figurative speech meaning one has done something to a point of no return. The line can be numerous things. It can be beliefs, fears, principles, self-promise, or maybe experiencing something for the first time. It stands for a limit that’s gonna be so hard to cross in which you will be thinking twice or maybe a hundred times wondering if you should. Some of the examples that I can think of are: doing drugs, having sex, drinking alcohol, staying vegan, being religious, “coming out”, cheating, or maybe jumping from the top of a cliff on a sunny beach. I think most of you have experienced it once in your life and I hope you know what I mean.
It’s hard to cross the line, but the thing is…once you do— it makes it easier for you to cross it again. I just experience this myself.
I’m a casual gamer, I play games just for fun. So I don’t get along with the idea of spending money on a game. I drew myself a line of “keeping it free-to-play”. But once, I found a game and become really invested. I started to watch how-to-play videos, tips & tricks, you know… stuff. One day, there’s a good in-game purchase deal. Same with all the people who stand next to that edge of the line, I’m thinking it so hard so many times. But in the end, I gave in and spent my first 40$. I’ve crossed “my” line. After that, it became so much easier to make the purchase. It’s like my hand is getting lighter when tapping that pay button. Until I realize that I’ve spent almost (or maybe more) than $200 on the game.
Once you’ve crossed the line and stepped on that new territory, there’s no going back to how you used to be. Even if you’re going back, you’ve changed — just like Superman. It’s scary how a simple “one-time” act can do to a person. So be mindful of what line that you willing to cross next time. One shot of a drug can lead to addiction, one cheating can alter you into a player, one smoke of cigarette could make you can’t live without it. It’s not just a simple one-time act, it might have been the first step of your journey on the other side of the line.
But… the line does not necessarily only for bad things.
The line could also represent opportunity and test how brave you are to cross it. It will draw a line between “have” and “have never”, then begs a question: “do you want to cross the line and experience something new?”. One of my favorite tv series How I Met Your Mother depicted it best in their episode “The Leap” which in this case — the line is represented by the gap between the two buildings. It’s a question of courage to conquer your own fear.
Do you have the courage to change your job? Or tell your partner that you guys should break up? Or do something you’ve never done before that excites you? Do you have the courage to take the leap… to cross the line?
I had a similar experience of the leap. I was once in a position of trying to jump from the famous “love bridge” in one of the islands in the Seribu archipelago. The place is famous for tourists to do a jump from the top of the bridge straight to the shallow sea. The line is drawn around whether I jump. I decided to take the leap, a literal one — and I’m grateful that I did. If not, I never would’ve experienced the thrill and the sea breeze coming — gushing onto my face. I’ll have no regret of wondering what it feels like.
It’s the same thing when I first wrote my first story. The line of “fear” keeps settling in. Does it good? Have I made grammar mistakes? Will people read it? I decided to write and publish it. Again… once you crossed, it makes it easier for you to cross it again. Now I almost have 50 stories in my Medium. It would never occur if I didn’t cross it.
So this is for you who are still scared to do what you want to do. For you who’s standing at the edge of that line and still wondering, thinking, whether you should cross it —from me to you: just f*ckin’ do it. In Zootopia there’s this famous line of: “I implore you, try.”
Just try it guys, it only takes once. It is always the “first” that makes it so scary. But once you tried, I guarantee you — it will be so much easier next time. So just take that leap of faith, taste the water for the first time, cross that line. Then you will not die wondering how it could’ve been.
Hope you enjoy this story
Cheers 🍻 — ferzos
