I am NOT Superman

“Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, if they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son.” Jor-el’s last Message to His Son (Superman)

As all nerds do, I have contemplated which superhero I would be if given the choice.  Batman is tempting because of his darkness (introvert) and his ability to perform great feats with technology and an unlimited budget.  But my thoughts always drift back to Superman.  It could be his invincibility (except to Kryptonite) or his burden for doing good deeds or his sense of feeling like he never fits in.  To be so powerful and also so vulnerable is a feat of strength in and of itself.  But I have bad news kids (and a great many adults). Superheroes are not real.

This fact may come as a shock to many, especially since we place so much stock in police officers, firemen, and men and women in military service. But as we have seen in recent days, they are far from perfect people and can easily perish in the line of their duties.  This flesh and bone is not impervious to pain and bleeding and death. 

There is a scene in one of the Superman movies (Superman Returns), in which he is looking out over the Earth and listening.  He is listening to everything.  He hears it all.  Every cry and siren and those screaming out in pain.  It must be a great burden to literally feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.  But that is how many people feel.  They do not understand that we were never meant to be Superman or Superwoman.  Our time here is short, but we are commanded by our father to be a light to the world that is full of darkness.

Some of us feel the burden of our own insecurities.  We carry around our fears and imperfections and they are almost too much to bear.  Sometimes I feel like Superman; like I can take on the world. Then sometimes I feel like a little boy running around the back yard with a red cape on, pretending that I have to power to do great things. But inside, I feel the smallness of my limited power and size.

Yes, it is true, we will never be Superman.  We will never have superpowers.  But we are granted, during the few number of years we have on this planet, a chance to be heroes to a few.  We can show the people in OUR world, however small that might be, that there are still people who believe in goodness, mercy, and love.  We can do our best to give them the courage to face whatever comes their way. 

We all have our kryptonite.  We have that sin that keeps us from having faith in the future or that can lead us into darkness.  But luckily we remember that everyone has their own weakness; their own kryptonite. And hopefully it is not us!

So put on your cape or your Superman shirt.  Run around the back yard and spread out your arms to fly. Remember that you may be the only Superman someone will every meet. 

Make your father proud.