8 things that we can learn from Super Heroes that we should already know.

As we go through life one thing is certain. We aspire to greatness, at least in some regard. And that greatness is sought after in different areas. I mean just look at the different majors we choose in college, the jobs we take on, the interests we have, the habits we form, the activities we enjoy. We always seek to become the best at what we feel passionate about. And that inspiration has to be derived from a source in our life. Superheroes have been the subject of many of these inspirations, and often times their very stories mimic our own, in that, they also seek inspiration to achieve greatness. So I’m just gonna shed a bit of light on how we, as a people, can learn so much from these examples that we haven’t learned already.

1. Every superhero has their parents to thank for some part of them being “super”. Just think about it. If Batman’s parents never died he would’ve never became Batman. He would’ve just been another billionaire playboy without an ounce of intellect. Spiderman owes his major theme or responsibility and moral duty to his uncle. Superman would never have survived if it weren’t for his father and mother sending him away from Krypton before it blew. The point I’m trying to make is that we should be thankful for our parents. Even before these superheroes became what they were, their parents enabled them through example or action to become the superheroes that we are inspired by and revere. Just be sure to remember that parents, however, aren’t perfect. So keep them honest.

2. Working as a team is much more effective. Batman is awesome. He’s my favorite superhero of all time, with Wolverine coming in second. But I can tell you that even with both these superhero’s extensive accomplishments, they didn’t have nearly as great an affect as they did when they were a part of their respective teams. The Justice League sought to bring peace to the world, eventually opening and accepting any and all superheroes that desired to bring peace to planet Earth. Batman, as the lead strategist and co-leader of the Justice League with Superman, saved the world time and time again, but only with his friends. In the same way, Wolverine has been a Marvel comic’s character that is characteristically the lone wolf in many of the X-men comics. But when part of a team, working in coordination with the rest of the X-men, he is a much more effective superhero. And as we see him mature around his team and become the eventual leader of the X-men, we see the examples that they set for social acceptance and advocacy of their kind as well as humanity. We, even in our society, can still benefit from this comic, seeing as prejudice and racism are still prevalent in today’s culture. Also, this is a matter of opinion, but do you really think the 12 disciples would’ve been the 12 disciples had it not been for the team Jesus assembled to spread Christianity and develop it into the religion that it is today? Just saying.

3. Whether you believe in a religion or not, superheroes always answer to a higher power. You should too. Whether its morality, which seems to be the case of many superheroes, or if it’s some God or other entity that they answer to that they rely on and trust, superheroes will always make sure that their actions align with a certain law or standard. If they don’t, then they see themselves compromised as superheroes and no longer deserve the right to be superheroes anymore. If you look at Oliver Queen, A.K.A. The Green Arrow, before he became a superhero, he was actually a murderer, killing those that he deemed as unfit to even live. After his best friend died and people close to him were hurt, he cleaned up his act and officially became the Green Arrow, when he chose justice over murder, and chose not to take another life. He did this as a form of penance for his past mistakes and from there on out operated with moral justice as a superhero. We NEED to do this and teach this. We have bullying in our schools, people hating each other, and honor and duty seem to be concepts that don’t resonate with people anymore. This must change if the American people are going to prosper and progress.

4. Training your mind is just as important as training your body, and vice-versa. Let’s look at Batman for a minute. Even though many consider him to be in peak physical condition for the average human, it isn’t his physical capabilities that he is most known for. It is his battle strategies, leadership, wisdom, knowledge, and courage that truly make him both a genius and a superhero. Tony Stark, A.K.A Iron Man, is another example of this. He applied this genius to make a suit of armor that is more advanced than anything else on the planet. The only way they both got there though was through a lot of hard work and dedication, qualities we would do well to emulate.

5. Don’t stay around to get praise for something you did for someone. Just be humble. People expect others to give something to them once they do something “out of the kindness of their hearts”. If you were really doing it out of the kindness of your hearts then you wouldn’t be staying around to gain fame or respect for it. So don’t! Follow in the footsteps of the greatest superheroes and “serve” instead of demanding respect and fame. Superheroes don’t save people to become more famous and gain fans and worship. Batman always flees the scene before reporters and cops arrive, and Spiderman leaves his culprits in a web for the cops to clean up. They save people because they can and they don’t stick around to gain respect. So follow their example and be selfless after you perform a kind gesture to someone.

6. Respect those that are in authority, and also those people that AREN’T. Superheroes that are part of the Justice League are presumptuously at the discretion of the U.S. government, and pretty much any situation that demands the League’s attention across the world. And the Justice League knows consistently that the nations of the world are weaker than their own combined force. But with that being said, since these are elected officials that are also responsible for the safety of the people they govern, the Justice League still honors and respects these officials, as long as they operate within the laws that they support (just look at A.R.G.U.S. and the justice league). Respect is different than humility. Respect is more of an obedient nature that every man is guaranteed as an unalienable right. I would hope that when Superman saves the common man, that he treats him with respect, which on more than one occasion, he does. He doesn’t look on the common man and seem indifferent to his plight. He finds worth in every man’s life, no matter their capabilities. The point that we need to learn is that every life is precious, and that we should honor and respect people no matter how good or bad, better or worse, they are from us.

7. Being normal is fine to work toward, but relish in your uniqueness! Most superheroes have an alter identity that shows that there is a basic urge to be normal. We all have that, just like most superheroes do. But remember that most superheroes also find their true identity in their super-powered selves, and not so much their alter egos. This is because they find more purpose in their uniqueness than they do in their struggle to be stereotypically normal. This is a lesson that needs to be really drilled into our brains. Honestly. we subconsciously try to achieve this sense of “normalcy” in life. We wanna fit in and we wanna be accepted, but we don’t want to scare people that we want to like us. But I find just from an experience standpoint that we are not that happy when we try to do this. When we be ourselves, when we invest ourselves into our interests, when we believe something no one else does that still seems logical, when we love someone or something when no one else will; those are the people that find the most value in life. Superheroes do it, and so should we.

8. Know your weaknesses and work on them. All superheroes have weaknesses. They either prepare for the eventuality when a villain capitalizes on that weakness, or they face their weakness head on. In the same way, we need to look inward and be able to see where we are not strong, while at the same time working on those weaknesses and becoming reliable in those areas. Some heroes’ weaknesses are the people that they love and care about being exploited, so they wear masks to cover up their identity. In the same way we must be PREEMPTIVE and not reactionary when it comes to facing our weaknesses head on. By failing to prepare, you are actually preparing to fail.

There are a lot more lessons to be learned from superheroes, not just in general but also in detail. Pick up a comic book series sometime if you want. Become absorbed in another person’s story and resonate with that particular superhero. Don’t discriminate either. Men and women superheroes alike have complex stories that many lessons can be learned from and also teach us a lot about ourselves and our society. And don’t be ashamed. At the end of the day, you’re reading something fun and your parents can’t yell at you for never reading a book in your life.