To Be or Not to Be... A "General"

I had another Pokémon Go topic lined up for today, but it turns out I'm not ready for that, and so is the topic. So, I've replaced it with another Pokémon Go topic that in some sense I should have discussed several months ago but hadn't for some reason or another. Yet now it's also especially pertinent because in a matter of time, it'll also become irrelevant in a sort of way, much like prior discussions involving the topic. That also has tie-ins to and regarding the famous phrase I mention in the title - a prompt for a "question" of sorts.

Now, the topic at hand is the matter of being a "general", which in the past I've used to refer to me reaching the then-highest player level in Pokémon Go at that time, which was 40. A year or so later, the level cap was raised to 50; I then referred to the stretch of levels afterwards as the "post-general" journey, the longest of which happens after I've used up my stored XP for that purpose. What is clear from this is that the "general" thing is a "to be" - or "has been", given the amount of time that has passed since then.

The "not to be" part is whether I'm still apt (or rather, want) to consider myself as one, given the community transpirations of this year as well as what some people think of me and in turn how I think of them. If it were that being a "general" means to copy all their behaviors, good and bad alike, then I want none of it. But if it just means having earned milestones, pinnacles, and achievements while promoting all of that and gameplay positively, then I am all for that and more... and level, XP, and all that jazz would only be numbers, nothing more.

For what it's worth, I have in fact actually reached Level 50 several months ago, on February 21 to be exact - the part that's pertinent to this discussion. The later irrelevance of this will be discussed when that happens, but the present irrelevance remains something to think about. How this fact may have any bearing on my regard as a "general" might very much depend on the viewpoints of the others who have conferred the title among themselves and others, but for other players (Trainers) and readers of this blog, that may be more freely interpreted.

As for that famous phrase and the "question" it prompts, it's also a prelude to a long-winded deliberation about the considerations of life and living (or otherwise). To live as a "general" in Pokémon Go is definitely a good aspiration, yet it seems to mean nothing with consideration of those who throw the title around. To live the good life - in this case with the dealings of this game, but also other Pokémon realms - would have more significant meanings, and for this Pokémon fan, that could only be something much, much better. 

One year ago: Mountains of Faith: Mount Lanakila

Two years ago: Half-Century of the Initiator of Pokémon

Three years ago: Pre-Stage Items in Pokémon Shuffle

Four years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: Divided and United

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 8/28/2020

Six years ago: Allying with Characters

Seven years ago: PokéVerbalisms

Eight years ago: After the Faraway Tournament