For a long time everything was real life. Even when I was pretending to be Cyclops during recess, that was still real life. Now, though, with so much of our lives taking place online, we delineate between our online lives and our real lives.
One of my favorite parts about The Christian Nerd is meeting people in real life. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a few readers over the years and every time it has been awesome. This week I had the opportunity to meet one of Ron’s friends who listens to our podcast. It was a little awkward at first because he knew so much about me, but we quickly got beyond that and had a great time.
Here are some nerdy characters that I’d like to meet in real life.
Captain America
My grandpa is 95 years old. He is one of the most amazing people that I know. I love spending time with him because he just oozes wisdom; I feel like I get wiser just by being around him. I also love hearing him tell stories about his life: he grew up during the Great Depression, he was a missionary in Ecuador and has traveled all over the world. I imagine that Steve Rogers would have a lot of similar stories. I wouldn’t even need to hear any stories about the Avengers; I’d be happy just to hear Captain America tell me about his adventures in WWII. It’d be like history class but way more exciting and with piercing blue eyes.
Counselor Troi
When I was younger I couldn’t stand Counselor Troi episodes of The Next Generation. What does a 12-year-old boy care about someone’s feelings when I could see Worf swinging his bat’leth? As an adult, though, I’ve grown to appreciate Counselor Troi and what she brought to the Enterprise. I would like to meet Counselor Troi in real life because I don’t always understand my own feelings. I’m pretty self-aware, but sometimes I’m not sure what I’m feeling. Counselor Troi could definitely help me understand my feelings, whether I was lying on her psychiatrist’s couch or hanging out in Ten Forward.
Samwise Gamgee
I’m a pretty shy guy so sometimes I worry if I’ll be really awkward when meeting someone in real life. Sam seems like he’d be pretty awkward as well, which might make our hanging out really great or really awful. We could probably get past the awkwardness with the help of a couple of pints, though. Like with Captain America, I would love to hear his stories, not necessarily about the big battles, but the little things he learned about life during his journeys. I’d also like to get his advice as a father; I pretty much will listen to anyone right now who has constructive advice for being a parent.
I live a lot of my life online, but there’s still nothing better than sitting down and meeting someone face-to-face. Our digital lives are great, as long as they’re a small part of our vibrant real lives.
What nerdy character would you like to meet in real life?
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