We admire them for the supernatural powers they possess but even more for the self-righteous and selfless acts they do to protect their people. We should apply their wisdom to our current society. What truly makes these individuals superheroes is how they choose to use their powers in the face of adversity. Here are some words of advice they left for your times of adversity.
1. "Life doesn't give us purpose. We give life purpose."
Everyone's life is different and that's because sometimes things just happen that are out of your control, but the majority of the times, your life is the way it is because of the choices you choose to make. Find what you're passionate about and live your life with purpose, so that one day, you'll just be happy and feel complete. So that one day, you can say you lived a life to your fulfillment.
2. "It's not dying that you need to be afraid of, it's never having lived in the first place."
Life is precious. Wouldn't it be scarier to have lived so many years when you feel dead inside? The lack of initiative and ambition and waste of great potential that could have changed people lives for the better is worse than death. You don't want to regret not doing all the things you've always wanted to do. I want to die knowing that I did something great to help the people I love, to enjoy life, so I can say, "It's been a wonderful life," smiling on my deathbed.
3. "When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth and tell the whole world, 'No, you move.'"
Whatever situation you may be in, whether it's your family or friends pressuring you to make a choice in their favor, not yours, you need to stand firm in your beliefs. Everyone has their motives to convince you otherwise. Listen to their opinions and be open-minded because they can be right, too. But do not be easily swayed. When you believe in yourself and your actions strongly, knowing that they are the right choices for you and no regrets will come from it, stand firm, soldier. Stand firm.
4. "That's half of heroing, noticing things. Noticing and not being afraid. Because when you decide not to be afraid, you can find friends in super-unexpected places."
Jumping to conclusions is looked down upon for a reason. You get the most information from your surroundings through observation and you are more likely to give others a chance to get to know them. In doing so, you meet people who may be in your life forever and make authentic connections. So take the time to notice your classmates, your neighbors, your coworkers, your religious community, and you may just find friends in those "super-unexpected places."
5. "The door is more than it appears. It separates who you are from who you can be. You do not have to walk through it... You can run."
We all have this ideal image of ourselves, of the person who we want to be, but we're just not there, whether it's because of the lack of experience or ambition or a few unplanned roadblocks on the way that have slowed us down. When we encounter these obstacles, we have to be willing to work harder to compensate for the delay. We don't walk over roadblocks. We run with the strategy to get around them so that we reach who we are supposed to be.
6. "Intelligence is a privilege and it needs to be used for the greater good of people."
Knowledge is power. When you have the brain power to produce ideas and revolutionize medicine or society itself the way others can't, you should utilize it to make the world a better place to live. Imagine a world where education was equal and granted to everyone. The people neglected an education could finally speak up against those in power who keep them illiterate to control them. When you're not educated, you become reliant on authority and believe and blindly follow what they say because you have no reference to assume otherwise. People would be more independent and society would be more equal. Intelligence should be spread and always used for good. It's a no-brainer.
7. "Just because someone stumbles and loses their path doesn't mean they can't be saved."
No one's perfect. Make mistakes, lots of them. Afterward, learn from your mistakes and never repeat them. Certain things in life can make us dig a hole too deep that it seems impossible to get out. Never-ending trenches do not exist. We fail. We fall. We keep falling. But we need to find the strength in ourselves to hold on to the edges of the trench and climb up. I find that strength in my parents, my siblings, and in God.
8. "No man can win every battle, but no man should fall without a struggle."
We don't learn anything when we are always winning. When you fail, it's an opportunity to better your skills and learn how you can do better to pass the next time. There is no shame in that. But there is shame in not trying after failing. You just have to always give all you've got. And sometimes that's not enough so you try again with a different approach. That's how we grow.
9. "Faith is my sword. Truth is my shield. Knowledge is my armor."
When your faith is so strong, you are unstoppable. When you know the truth, you are protected from lies and see things clearly. When you observe and learn, you add onto the many skills and information that will most definitely save you and the people around you.
10. "Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with."
Life is all about the choices that define you. Powers, in reality, can be your wealth, your family lineage, or your intelligence. When you're blessed with these powers in the real world, it is ultimately your decision on how to use them. Don't use them to manipulate and take advantage of others like a villain. Use them to help others and be a hero.
11. "All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best we can do is start over."
Repairing something broken can require many more repairs — it's never truly fixed. Do not be afraid to start over. It can be better to start from the beginning. Just be patient.
12. "You are much stronger than you think you are. Trust me."
Strength is not measured physically alone. I want you to reflect on yourself. If you've overcome hardships in your life, you are strong. If you're still going and striving for a goal you set for yourself, you are strong. Do not ever think otherwise. We find our strengths in different places.
13. "Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up."
Never ever give up. Do not ever expect greatness to come easily. Greatness is for the bold, for the ones that fall and get back up.
14. "In a world of ordinary mortals, you are a wonder woman."
We all just want to fit in, to be "normal," to blend in, essentially to be boring. But what good does it do for yourself and society when you can offer so much more? Stand out and stand proud. Be yourself and you'll realize how awesomely different you are.
15. "I stayed in and studied like a good little nerd. And 15 years later, I'm one of the greatest minds of the 21st century."
Hard work pays off. Students dread school but in the long run, your education will take you places you've never expected. After all, you are the future. So study hard, be a nerd, and be proud of being a great student. All those years in classrooms were preparing you to become one of the greatest minds in society.
16. "I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
We see heroes every day. The men and women who are willing to give their lives to protect citizens, the people who travel across the world to provide healthcare to third-world countries, the kindness and safety given to refugees, the persistent students and parents fighting for their safety, at the border and at schools. The people that supported you and saved you at your lowest — your family and friends. You probably don't know it yet, but you are a hero to someone, too.
17. "Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear, until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice becomes the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever."
Make a promise to always do what is right. Whether something wrong happens to you or you see the misdeed occurring elsewhere, do your best to make it better. Make that promise, stay determined, and fight for it.
18. "We have a saying, my people. Don't kill if you can wound, don't wound if you can subdue, don't subdue if you can pacify, don't raise you hand at all until you've first extended it."
We will encounter people in our lives that we do not see eye to eye with. We must always find a solution before creating more problems. We have to compromise before we fight.
19. "True happiness is found along a middle road. There lies the balance and the harmony — with reason and emotion not at war but hand in hand."
When we are too logical, we aren't human enough to empathize and end up causing more pain and resent. When we are too emotional, we do not solve problems but take either too extreme or too little measures. We need a balance of both.
20. "The future is worth it. All the pain. All the tears. The future is worth the fight."
No one knows what the future holds. But whatever it does hold, we have to grasp onto the hope that it will be good. We fight and we cry and we protest in order to leave the world to our posterity in better conditions so they won't have to fight our battles or go through the horrors of our generation. Every child deserves better. They deserve to progress, not be held back and clean up the impetuous decisions of the generation before them. They deserve to excel.
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