
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor,” is a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt. Rough seas cultivate the necessary ability to become a good sailor. Television shows and movies create superheroes who rescue vulnerable members in society using their unparalleled powers that society eventually learns to depend on and trust for their safety. How are superheroes created?
The genesis of any superhero is an overwhelming tragedy shaping the youth of a young man or woman. The story of how Batman became a superhero is a tragedy of a young man who witnessed both his parents brutally murdered as a young boy. This incident fueled his determination to defend his city from injustice through a persona named Batman that disguised his identity as a wealthy philanthropist who is well trained both physically and intellectually. His “superpowers” are his intellect, fighting skills and wealth that he uses to fight criminals and injustice.
Superman is another superhero whose tragedies helped shape his character and use his powers to help the good citizens around him. The planet Kryptonite, where his embryo was in a capsule that landed on planet earth in his parents’ desperate attempt to save their child. This planet did not have anyone else who was from his species that could be a role model for him to demonstrate how to use his powers in a beneficial manner. His adoptive parents were older than the parents of his peers, and he had no siblings or relatives closer to his age with whom he could relate. His parents instructed him to hide his powers which limited his athletic opportunities and social activities in school. However, his parents cultivated his good character that was his greatest superpower of all.
The genesis of every leader is usually a difficult life with difficult challenges he/she learned to overcome. Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents was born into poverty in a one room log cabin in rural Kentucky. Abe did not like his father who was an illiterate and stern man who could barely sign his name. Furthermore, his difficult circumstances became more challenging with the death of his beloved mother when he was nine, whom he claims he owed everything to her guidance.
Ronald Reagen, another great president of the United States was born to an alcoholic father whose unstable employment forced the family to move from town to town. Despite these impediments, Ronald Reagen was successful in his various careers such as sportscasting, acting and a political career where he achieved the ultimate success of becoming the president of the United States.
These examples illustrate how difficult obstacles are necessary to achieving the status of a superhero. A person who learns to overcome these difficulties acquires the skills and strength of character necessary to lead and protect his/her fellow man. This is the difference between the person who takes charge of his future and the person who is a victim to his traumatic past.
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