What makes it Super?

16th July 2012 - "What makes it Super?"

I've been thinking for a while what makes a Super Hero (or Super Villain) Super?  Why aren't they just Heroes & Villains?  You might think, like I have, that it's super powers that make the Hero super.  But I've discussed previously that there are many comic book Super Heroes that have no super powers (Batman, Punisher, etc.)

Before we go too far lets define what Super is.  As an adjective Super means of the highest degree, of an extreme or excessive degree, or of a first degree - as in very good & first rate. Effectively Super Heroes & Super Villains are the best in their fields.  

Well maybe, like Batman & Punisher, the Super Hero is super good at a skill set?   That may be the case with many heroes but it's not what I'm going for here.  (However, I think aptitude is an important ingredient.)  Specifically, Super Heroes & Super Villains have a track record that puts them ahead of others in their field. If I had to simplify it down to a sentence:

"Super Heroes & Super Villains are who they are because they actively choose, plan for, & cultivate the necessary attributes required to become the best Hero or Villain they can be." 

By now you must be wondering why I keep adding in Super Villains to the discussion; "isn't this the Hero-Hearted Blog?"   Yes, you are in the right place.  The truth of the matter is being a Hero or being a Villain is very similar; being a Hero just takes a little more work.  Everyday each of us chooses whether to be a Hero or a Villain; sometimes multiple times a day we make this choice.  

• Someone comes to you with an embarrassing moment - Do you say the encouraging thing or say the funny thing that gets a laugh but mocks the troubled person?
• An old guy needs help carrying something - Do you stop & help or walk past pretending he doesn't exist, like the 3 people before you did?
• Do you choose the chips or the protein bar? 

You might say "But these are small things, they don't make or break being a Hero."  Little daily decisions define us. Who are you when no one you care about is looking?  

Generally, becoming a Super Villain doesn't happen overnight - it's a slow fade.  For many, the choice to be a normal Villain is easy, just choose yourself first.  And in many ways it's easy to choose the Hero's path when a moment of crisis arises, or if it feels good.  But this post isn't talking about Heroes & Villains, it's about Super Heroes & Super Villains.  This is about the little daily choices.  This is about making an active decision, choosing a side, planning for a future moment where you will need to be great.  What do you choose?  Who would you like to become?  

Actions become habitual & habits form your character which will ultimately determine your destiny.  Deeper at the root, what you think will determine how you choose to act & thoughts are just decisions; daily decisions.

Making the Hero/Villain choice is the easy part; living it is something else.  That's why the choice must be made everyday.  I hope you chose the Hero's path.  The world needs more Heroes.  Now, if you don't already know it, let me tell you first hand that you will fall down in your pursuit of being a hero.  Today I chose the chips.  But I have heard it said "A hero is the guy who gets up one more time."  Falling down does not force us on the Villain's path, staying down does.  

So I may never have super powers (but wouldn't that be awesome!) & may never be known for my heroics.  However, there is a Hero hidden inside of me that I can work towards being. I can choose daily to become a Super Hero.  Who are you choosing to become?

HEROES FOUND!!!

2nd July 2012 - "HEROES FOUND!"


YES!  Heroes still live in this world!  Check this site out: http://www.reallifesuperheroes.org/


What a cool concept!  If you read through their About Us section, Real Life Super Heroes is a civil service organization built around the ideals represented by superhero stories.  No, they're not other-worldly beings with super powers or mutant humans with special abilities.  They're people, like you and I who hope to make a difference wherever they are. 


These Real Life Super Heroes feel the tug to do more & help humanity.  Some have helped stop crimes in progress, helped solve crimes, or even helped prevent crimes by raising awareness.  Some of these Heroes have helped the injured in need or just helped serve society with Charity Work, Hospital Visits, & other general helps.  I think what they do is awesome!  "So shines a good deed in a weary world." So shines a bright light in a dark world.


Reading through the RLSH's Creed: http://www.reallifesuperheroes.org/about/creed/  (which is awesome), I thought it misses something.  I'm not sure if misses is quite the right word but it inspired a thought in me.  What is the number one thing all Heroes must have?  What is the bottom line most important thing?  Is it a super power or a flashy costume?  No, as far as I know it, the Superhero Punisher (Marvel Comics) is just a guy with a gun (actually a few guns) who barely has any costume at all.  So what is the baseline requirement to be considered a Hero?


Dictionary.com defines hero as:

1.  a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

I posted only the first 2 definitions, as the others do not apply to this post.  The first short paragraph on Wikipedia's  article Hero is:


A hero (heroine is usually used for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.^[1] Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.


So, looking at these 2 definitions I would say that bottom line, a Hero must have Courage.  More then anything a hero is the person who stands up when others back down, who does that which is scary to help, save, or benefit another.  They do what might be terrifying but is most certainly right.


I once heard someone say that Courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to do what you know is right in the face of fear.  I challenge all of us to take the Courage Pledge:

• Everyday I will do at least one thing that challenges, scares & probably stretches me.  I will choose to be courageous whenever I can.

This act of courage might be something small like "liking" a controversial post on Facebook that you believe in or it might be saying something when you normally wouldn't.  It might even be something big like rescuing someone in harms way. 


The point is to challenge yourself to do a little bit each day.  I take this pledge to be Courageous everyday & I hope you'll join me.  And if you feel so moved, post a comment about an act of courage you perform.  We can all be heroes to someone. Even if no ones sees it & all it means is that we can stand a little taller & at look ourselves in the mirror with a smile.