Santa Clara Meditation Column – Everyone Should Become A Superhero!
Journey to find the real ‘me’
Now is the time that everyone should become a superhero!
Not long ago, The Dark Knight Rises, the final episode of the Christopher Nolan’s Batman film trilogy, was released. In the last scene of this film, there is only a minute and a half before the nuclear bomb will explode and everyone in the city will die unless the bomb is defused. Batman finally decides to load the bomb on his combat plane and fly over the sea. He sacrifices himself with the explosion. Gotham city’s commissioner, Gordon, throws a question to Batman, wanting to see his real identity, “I never cared who you were. You have made the right decision but shouldn’t the people of Gotham know who the hero was that saved their city?” After he loads the bomb on his plane before flying over the sea, Batman answers back, “A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.” The one who reassured him was actually commissioner Gordon and the little boy was Batman himself.
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Indiana Jones, and even Popeye were superheroes who rose to popularity in the 80’s and 90’s. The supernatural power they possessed was something phenomenal that we cannot ever imagine having. People admired the enormous power and ability they showed. The people in the 80’s and 90’s were, indeed, attracted to the fact that just one superhero defeats dozens of villains and actualizes justice without any troubles or difficulties. However, from some point in time, a minor change was made to the so-called Hollywood movies; the films no longer portray the perfect and always-happy superheroes. The modern superheroes have lost the characteristics of being perfectly almighty and superhuman, and instead they cannot inevitably defeat villains, they even sometimes get beaten, have worries and suffer from pain… Just like the lives of ordinary people who experience happiness, sadness, success and failure. They are not awesome and perfect superheroes anymore. We can sympathize with them since they feel just like one of our ordinary neighbors.
The writers humanize and empathize with these modern heroes who are not perfect-beings, making some mistakes and getting beaten from time to time. Although they are not invincible, they always know how to sacrifice themselves for others. Many superheroes starring in movies these days, not only Batman, follow this trend. Heroes are actually the portraits of people around us. They are not perfect, but ordinary. But then, when they face crises, they demonstrate outrageous courage and wisdom and save many people’s lives. Not long ago, there was a dreadful tragedy in Connecticut. A man with a gun abruptly went on a shooting rampage, killing a classroom of children. Superheroes were present that day: the principal, school counselors and teachers… They weren’t afraid of death and didn’t run away. Instead they stepped forth to protect the children and help the kids run away, but in the process they were shot to death. Even during the 9/11 tragedy, firefighters and policemen were not thinking about themselves, but about how they could help others. They sacrificed themselves to save others’ lives. Firefighters who hurry to every scene of fire day and night, are always risking their lives… Our father figures who work without a day off just for their children…
Superheroes no longer need to be perfect nor must they only appear only in movies. Like the last words of Batman, one who does something simple or reassures another is a hero. Anyone around us can really be a hero and even you yourself can be one. What should you do to become a hero? No matter whether the act is big or simple, if you work and sacrifice yourself for someone else, if you can serve out what you have, then you are a hero. Let’s look around, at this time when many people suffer from emotional or psychological pain and loneliness, just as Batman or Superman looked for someone in need of help. Many people around us are actually waiting for a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. When your life is perceived worthless and hopeless, remind yourself of these words: “I can also become a hero.” You’ll then definitely get to see those needing your help, like your family or neighbors. Do something for them. Something simple is perfectly fine. At that very moment, you’ll feel the passion of happiness pouring out from somewhere in your mind. Why is a human a human? Because a human is a social animal, he is a human. We ought to live together, and happiness can be found when we help one another. You can’t help but become unhappy in a life where you only live for your own sake. “Why am I so unhappy? I feel so lonely.” Stop complaining about yourself, and go outside right now. Then, go to the place where you are needed. It could be a center for the homeless, an orphanage or just next door… Or, call your partner, children or the friends you love. Your supportive words expressing love, like ‘I love you’ or ‘cheer up,’ will make that person’s life happier. As they say, ‘What goes around comes around.’ But when you help others double that happiness will return to you just like a boomerang, and then you have become a hero.
It is now the time when everyone should be a hero. How exciting would it be for us living at this time?
