What if you could fly? What if you were bulletproof? What if you could become invisible? As kids, my friends and I asked each other these questions. Most kids do, I would guess. I'm in my forties now, and these questions still come up from time to time. I'm still a kid at heart, I still read comics and go to movies, and I still love a good superhero story. And that's the ultimate answer, isn't it? Depending on your age, you might say you'd fly off to Hawaii and save a bundle on airfare, or get even with a certain high school bully, or sneak into the next Avengers movie without paying. But then you think about it a bit, and eventually you decide you would probably become a superhero. Wouldn't you? I know I would.
But I can't fly, and I'm not bulletproof, and I'm pretty much the opposite of invisible. I have no superpowers whatsoever. Bummer.
But if comics and superhero movies have taught me anything, it's that if you take away the "super", you usually still have a hero. Not always, but often. For example, Tony Stark did not become a hero when he put on the Iron Man suit; he became one when he said "I want to protect the people I put in harm's way." Kal-el had powers from the moment he arrived on earth, but it was the lessons learned from his adoptive human parents, and his own choices, that made him worthy of the name Superman. Perhaps the best example is Steve Rodgers, who had the heart and soul of a hero long before he became Captain America. He would have been a hero with or without the powers he gained. In each of these stories, the superpower is cool and provides the "wow" factor (especially in movies, where special effects wizardry has pretty much become a superpower itself.) But the best superheroes, in my opinion, are those who are heroes first, and super second.
In real life, we don't (yet) have any superheroes. But we do have heroes. Those who serve in the armed forces, for example. Firefighters, EMTs, and police officers. Teachers. Doctors and nurses. Parents. Volunteers. They are not hard to find. Most of them are not hiding their identities. They're just out there, getting the job done. Right here in this house are a volunteer firefighter and Young Marine, an educator and several animal shelter volunteers. I'm proud of all of them. Take a few minutes today, look around you, and figure out who the heroes are in your life. Thank them. And if you are one (even if you don't realize it) then thank you.
As for me, I'll keep dreaming about being super, but even if that never happens then I'll still try my best to be someone's hero, in whatever way I can.
In real life, we don't (yet) have any superheroes. But we do have heroes. Those who serve in the armed forces, for example. Firefighters, EMTs, and police officers. Teachers. Doctors and nurses. Parents. Volunteers. They are not hard to find. Most of them are not hiding their identities. They're just out there, getting the job done. Right here in this house are a volunteer firefighter and Young Marine, an educator and several animal shelter volunteers. I'm proud of all of them. Take a few minutes today, look around you, and figure out who the heroes are in your life. Thank them. And if you are one (even if you don't realize it) then thank you.
As for me, I'll keep dreaming about being super, but even if that never happens then I'll still try my best to be someone's hero, in whatever way I can.
