Ze AMC’s Breaking Brave, Or How 2020, Is A Metaphor For Life In A Nutshell.
Say Hi to Alter Black.
Walter White is a regular chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is locked in his routine until cancer knocks on his door.
That is his wake-up call to fulfill his passion for chemistry. He will become a great kingpin in the drug industry, Heisenberg. Yes, say his name, “Heisenberg.”
Alter Black is a regular employee in a big corporation in PinkTown, Old Gaule. He is locked in his routine until COVID-19 knocks on the door of his life.
That is a wake-up hole for him to try to dig himself out of this mystery. He will be a great spin-king in the thugs’ chemistry as Hopesenjerk. No, forget his name, “Hopesenjerk!”
Breaking Bad is one of the best TV shows in my wall of fame, along with The Wire and Oz. All those TV shows explore the change that characters are forced to embrace in a new environment to survive and ultimately thrive. For good or bad, it depends on which perspective you are looking at it from.
Breaking Bad was a TV show produced by AMC Networks, standing for American Movie Classic. They gave life to the character of Walter White.
In this article, we will explore the life of Alter Black, Walter White’s alter ego, in a reality show called Breaking Brave, produced by Ze AMC, a homonym of the real AMC Networks.
Before learning more about Alter Black and how he turned great compared to Watler White, who turned bad, let’s just drop a few words about Ze AMC.
Ze AMC was founded by EpicZeGenius, a feel-and-suffer guy from the past before Black Jesus came to this universe.
EpicZeGenius built his life around 3 pillars:
- Amor Fati, or the love of fate
- Memento Mori or the certainty of death
- Carpe Diem or the power of now
EpicZeGenius founded his company Ze AMC as a reminder of the 3 things he built his life around: Amor Fati, Memento Mori, and Carpe Diem. He produced only one TV show: Breaking Brave, a story about his best friend, Alter Black. He was said to be s a great inspiration to Epictetus, one of the great contributors to Stoicism.
Alter Black lived as a regular guy until Covid hit his life. And that changed everything in his life—a story strikingly similar to the one of Walter White, yet with a different outcome.
Amor Fati, The Love Of Fate
Whether we like it or not, things will continue unfolding, and the universe’s entropy will continue to increase. We can waste our time and energy trying to battle it, or we can just go with it and let things happen:
“What has happened, happened.”
Breaking Bad
Walter White went through the 5 stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) when he was diagnosed with cancer. He accepted his fate and used it as fuel to propel himself forward.
Breaking Brave
Alter Black did not accept that COVID-19 is now part of his life. He spent a lot of time trying to keep things the same. Yet, like time, COVID-19 was here to stay. If he wants to make sense of his new reality, eventually, Alter embraces it.
Memento Mori, The Certainty Of Death
Living is dying a little bit every day. Every moment when a new baby is breathing for the first time, someone is breathing out for the last time.
“Remembering that we can die daily is the best way to live.”
Breaking Bad
Walter White was being eaten by cancer every day. It was a daily striking reminder that he was dying. He accepted that reality and made it his own. He would even let his fear of life go so that he could embrace his love of death. There is his metamorphosis to Heisenberg. He decided to take his world with a blue wave of Meth.
Breaking Brave
Alter Black was seeing people die from COVID-19 every day. Dearth has never been so close to his doorstep, to his closed circle of friends and colleagues. He would eventually spin his thug life, morphing from the jerk only hoping for the best, aka “Hopesenjerk,” to remembering that he can change things. He decided to help others battle COVID-19 to the best of his abilities.
Carpe Diem, The Power Of Now
The past is gone, and the future is not here yet. All we have is now, and that is where we can act to eventually change our future and make our past worth remembering.
“Now is the best time, not yesterday, not tomorrow.”
Breaking Bad
Walter White, aka Heisenberg, lived in the moment. When he wanted something, he would just take it. Yes, it forced him into breaking bad. Yet he was conscious of the importance of seizing the moment. He would go to great lengths to build his empire and become the Blue Meth kingpin of New Mexico.
Breaking Brave
Alter Black was a folk afraid of acting. He would spend 80% of his time either reminiscing or imagining what the future could hold for him if he did this or that; he was the “just if” guy. Yet with COVID-19, his word was now the upside-down universe he had been fearing to embrace. Finally, he courageously went from “just if” to “just do it.”
Final Thoughts
With Amor Fati, Memento Mori, and Carpe Diem, Alter Black found the courage and the drive to embrace his new reality, a post-Covid19 where everything is upside down. He moved from planning to acting. He just did it like Walter White and was ready to face the consequences of his actions. He learned that his time is limited, even if he does not have cancer, remembering him of his death daily.
The only difference between him and Walter White is one single thing. While Walter White broke bad to Heisenberg, Alter White broke great.
He went from Hopesenjerk to True Black, using the power of Amor Fati, Memento Mori, and Carpe Diem.
Alter Black is an inspiration for me. As for him, I am looking for my true Blackness.
Breaking Brave is a story brought to you by Ze AMC Studios, an EpicZeGenius production.
What is your Amor Fati?
How do you face your Memento Mori?
Are you having your daily dose of Carpe Diem?
Leave a comment below.
If you find this article of value, please like it and share it within your sphere of influence.
#Dare2Care #Dare2Share
#BIOS #BringInyourOwnSoul #LeadHeartship #Leadership
You can read my previous article (Friendly Link):
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash