Superheroes

Why doesn't every human being possess the courage and the confidence of their favorite Superhero? As humans we begin by idolizing our parents and then extend that courtesy out to individuals, real or not, whom we admire. Yet, even after finding a superhero that we wish to embody, we usually quickly forget the fundamentals of what makes our favorite superhero great.

I would argue that it has something to do with our evolutionary mechanism to stress. It has been posited that in today's society our stress response has been severely misused. Instead of fighting for our survival , in today's society we fight for resources. We attempt to ascertain monetary value because it has become a symbol for a good life. This makes our "survival" dependent upon how we do in society, whether that be in your career, at school, or among your friends. Every deadline, every interaction, and every mistake can affect your relationship with society and therefore alter your chances at survival. At least, this is what we tend to believe?

Decisions are rarely this battle for life and death, yet, we have come to fear the concept of failure. Society has categorized failure and death as almost synonymous, and as we fight to prevent them both we are constantly battling the stress of decisions that don't drastically alter our lives. Superheroes make the constant decision between life and death to uphold the values of courage, strength, and determination amidst the stress and fear of life and death.

Yet, perhaps the stronger individual is one who can overcome the fear of failure imposed by society to derive those same ideals. Instead of the obvious stress of life and death, each day millions of us are confronted with the minor stresses that seem to greatly deteriorate the lives we wish to live. Happy, healthy, fulfilling. The sheer realization that these minor stresses are simply anything but, may require a greater hero who realizes that each failure is simply an opportunity for growth and development. Each stressor isn't something detracting from ones life, but rather an opportunity to develop ones personal ideology and character. Real hero's exist everyday in gaining something from their downfall.

Horizons

It's incredible how many of us forget where we are. This might sound like an odd thought, as clearly, we are in "X" city at a particular address. If you were to think about your week you could probably picture an entire 168 hours spent within a distance of that address. Wake up, make breakfast, go to work, come home, make dinner, relax (if you can find the time!) and hit the hay only to wake up again to the alarm. Thinking about your week, you can likely draw a border around the places you're likely to go.

Let us call this your sphere. How often do you break free from it? For those many individuals who drive to work, ponder next time how far that road can take you. If there are no roads, picture instead where walking in a singular direction might let you go. If you take transit, what about escaping from that sphere at the next transfer?

We often forget how large the world is and what distant places we are able to explore. Often, many are consumed with the idea of a vacation, however, the opportunity to explore lies just upon the horizon in any direction. All you need is to the desire to break free from the sphere when the time permits and allow yourself to become immersed in the new world that exists just a short while away.
Opportunity exists just minutes away; we just have to go looking for it.

Changing the World Through Perspective

It wasn't until last year that I began to understand this word. It's this simple word that has the power to change the entire world. Yes, I suppose the same can be said with other words, but this one rings true to me.

In today's society we run through the world trying to reach our next appointment, or make time for the latest deadline. We consistently rush while the world passes us by, exasperated at the sheer volume of work and expectations that each individual is crushed by. It is this perspective of the world that seems to remain true among so many.

Instead, I choose to imagine a world full of individuals attempting to make a difference. I would argue that this is a goal for many people in society. Although that difference may be small, let us remember that through perspective no action is insignificant. Some may argue that their job is meaningless. Yet, we perform actions such as holding a door open, or smiling to someone on the street that we may again never see. Why? Because the world is not a group of people mindlessly toiling away at their professions simply to make an income, but rather to better their lives and the lives of those around them.

Although some may disagree, and often times it's easy to forget, we are all members of a growing, and ever connected society - where each person's dream is to make a difference. This perspective is what I choose to follow, and it has changed the world.