I Want to be a Superhero

No, seriously, I do.  And don't lie.  You do too.

This past Halloween I saw a lot of little boys dressed up as superheros (especially Captain America.  Dang is he cool).  And I'm jealous; seriously I am.  I've always wanted to be a superhero, though sometimes I was convinced that this desire is the product of watching too many superhero movies, playing too many video games, and reading the 56 book series of Animorphs (actually its more like 66 with all the side stories).  But even though those influences aren't as strong in my life as they used to be, I still really want to be a superhero.  More now than when I was a kid.  I have four reasons why.

1. Cool superpowers or technology
Wouldn't this fun?  How cool would it be to fly, turn into animals, have super strength... talk about handy.  Can't reach that nasty top shelf on top of the fridge?  Fly on up there.  Dropped your phone between your bed and the wall and can't fit your hand in between?  Turn in a mouse and retrieve it.  Need to move your furniture?  Done.  I imagine after a while, it would be very isolating to have some kind of power no one else had.  People might be all impressed at first, but eventually jealously would set in, not to mention it would be very difficult to stay humble.  I'm sure once people knew what you could do, they would ask for you assistance in everything too.  Some would probably considered you a freak.  That is providing you tell people what you can do.  So hiding is an option, I guess, but that would be so isolating.  Okay, so scratch the cool superpowers thing.  I actually only have three reasons.

2. Life is so much more exciting as a superhero
The majority of my life so far has involved class, homework, work on a farm or other job, hanging out with friends, family, watching movies, reading, writing whatever.  I feel like I have prided myself in proclaiming that I am never bored.  Which is true; I never am bored on an earthly level.  I always find a book to read or a nap to take.  But occasionally an overwhelming sense of boredom will hit me.  My thoughts will be something like, "God, I do not care about school.  I do not care about getting a job.  That pattern of life is so lame.   I want to travel around the world!  I want to go save lives!  I want to DO stuff!  Settle down?  Bah!"  Then again, what kind of security is that?  I think of Spiderman sneaking out at night to fight crime.  I think that would be cool twice.  The first time because of the rush you get.  The second time because of the feeling of accomplishment.  But after the third time, exhaustion would kick in and so would bitterness.  Like the quote from The Incredibles, "I just cleaned up this mess.  Can you keep it clean for ten minutes?"  Yeah, so just kidding.  I like sleep way too much.  Scratch point number two.

3. Secret Identity
Oh yeah, talk about the wild side of life.  Can you imagine?  Living a double life as a secret agent?  No one knowing your true self?  Knowing that if anyone found out who you were (especially those closest to you), they would be in danger?  Uh, talk about miserable.  I'm not even going to try to make that sound appealing.  I think I have enough stress in my life already, thank you.  And let's be real, I would still have to live a normal life on top of my midnight rescues.  I would just have to pretend I was getting sleep at night.  Talk about terrible.

4. Self-sacrifice
So as much as it would utterly suck to be a superhero, I would love to be LIKE a superhero.  Because they will give up anything.  Their jobs, their time to themselves and family, their lives.  The limits to their sacrifice seem extended beyond anything I would be asked to do.  And if I was asked to give up my job or my house or whatever... shoot, could I do it?  I like to think I would, I like to think everyone on this planet would, but the truth is, I don't know if we're ready for that yet.  How often do we claim things for ourselves, calling for "shotgun" and grabbing the first piece of cake instead of offering those things first?  How often do we know our presence is desired but because no one asked, we conveniently don't enter the room?  How well do we know just how to form our words to get what we want without anyone knowing that we're being manipulative (not even ourselves sometimes)?


We all have limits as human beings, but what if each of us sacrificed just one more little thing in our day for the sake of someone else?  An extra five minutes at meal time to spend with our family?  Doing a chore that is normally not your job to do?  A friendly hello to someone new at church, or someone you see everyday but have never spoken to?

Because the truth is, we're all already superheroes.  We just have to choose that path.  And the best thing about it are that we can choose how we serve.  If we could fly, that would be the service people would ask from you, forgetting everything else about you that makes you you.  In our normal lives, we can develop any skills we want and offer our services in anyway we want.  And for the most part, we can serve within the comfort of our own lives and our own identity!  Talk about convenient!  So long as we serve.  Where would this world be without it?  Where could this world be with more?

If it helps, there is nothing wrong with wearing a mask or a weird hat as you do what you do.  Yes, I am wearing a weird hat right as I write this.  Actually, it's not a hat, but it could be.