What it means to be a Superhero

I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams. – Aunt May,Spider-Man 2

Hello again Rocking it Christian Style readers. Today I wish to discuss something that comes up a lot in the media, and in conversation (maybe just the conversations I have, but just go with it). Super heroes are everywhere. They have made a verysuccessful transition from the pages of old, worn out comic books all the way onto the big silver screen of Hollywood. As an avid reader of comic books this brings great joy to me. So many people love seeing these movies. What’s better than seeing a movie about someone overcome the odds against them? Better yet, with super powers!

However, we are faced with quite a conundrum, we don’t have super powers. Nor do we get to see super powers in action in real life. We can’t chant Spider-man on as he battles the Green Goblin, nor can we wait in suspense for Superman to overcome Lex Luthor. We do this from theatre seats whilst eating popcorn that is far too salty, drinking a blue slushpuppy that is mostly ice and blue food colouring - with some hint of grape which isn’t blueberry flavour.

What is it about these super hero movies that they manage toget people to flock to the theatre and sell out on the opening weekend? Why has the world become slowly obsessed with this franchise? It has gotten to the point where everyone eagerly awaits the announcement of a new Batman, and you have hordes of people attending comic con just to find out the latest news about the X-men franchise.

Society is obsessed with people being able to do extraordinary things with extraordinary abilities. However, we forget that there are exceptional people out there already, they don’t have super powers, they don’t have billions of dollars, they just do amazing things because they can, because they feel lead to do so.

These people are real life super heroes.

Since being a super hero doesn’t mean having super powers, it doesn’t even mean you need mountains of cash (picture Scrooge McDuck from Duck Tales). You don’t need an invincible suit of armour, nor do you need an exceptional car.

Let me take a moment to say that you don’t even need to be a doctor, a nurse, paramedic or fire fighter to be a super hero. Yes these people are definitely super, and they are definitely heroes, but I’m talking about something simpler. Something we can all do on a daily basis without having a Phd.

So what does it mean to be a super hero? What does it take to be super?

There are so many opportunities for us to be super just bydoing something exceptional with the time that we have. A couple of weeks ago Bron spoke about her experience at Red Frogs and Oppi Koppi (In a nut shell, Red Frogs seeks to help people at big events and functions in any way necessary). This is something so amazing, to serve others with love and ensuring that people feel like they have somewhere safe to go.

These people serve others; they choose to do a selfless act, not because it will benefit them, but because it will benefit someone else, even if it’s only in a small way. Servitude is a big deal, and it’s hard for a lot of us to find the time to serve, especially humbly. We always want some kind of recognition for what we do, but what if we did it without any kind of thanks?

There’s more to it than that though. Serving is great, but we all have our own way of serving others. For some it is with our time, for others it is with money. There is another thing that we can do every day to serve others, and that is, as corny as this sounds, with a smile. “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing” is a quote by Mother Teresa. H. Jackson Brown Jr said “Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It may be the only sunshine he sees all day.”

That’s how you can be a super hero. By being a positive influence on the world. Become a force of random acts of kindness and love. You can still be a mighty influence on someone’s life, even by doing something as simple as a smile. That’s your super power. That’s a super power we all have. It’s something we can do so much good with.

I end with a quote from The Hobbit “Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness and love.”

Stay awesome everyone!

M