Daily Cascade

On Superpowers and Being a Superhero

Prompt: Superpowers
"Having a superpower has nothing to do with the ability to fly or jump, or superhuman strength. The truest superpowers are the ones we all possess: willpower, integrity, and most importantly, courage."
Jason Reynolds
How would the world be different if everyone knew they had superpowers? Which superpower do you think you possess?

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"I'm here to fight for truth and justice," said Superman. So he did personify superpowers. Yet, are all superpowers alike?

As to the superpowers in the prompts' quote, somehow, I think the world is aware of them already. What Jason Reynolds calls superpowers are willpower, integrity, and courage. Except, it is difficult to use them because, sometimes, our own self-interests butt into our style of being. Then, it is not only the self-interests but the way we have conditioned ourselves to act can be to blame, as well.

Surely, I am not inside every single person in the world, but I assume that, in some magical way, we all know about these superpowers. We all know that real strength doesn't lie in fantasy or fiction but in our everyday choices and actions.

Of these superpowers, willpower has to be the strongest one because it is such a quiet force that works under our every action and will. It's the ability to keep going when things get hard, to say yes to progress, and to say no to what might hold us back. We can see it in the person who fights to win against all odds and in any situation, be it a student who has to work for a living during daytime but studies hard late into the night or a nurse, despite all the work she has to do, stays by a patient to give him a easy passage into death, or parents who continually keep after their wayward child to keep that child from harming himself.

Integrity means staying true to ourselves and our values, be it in a crowd or when alone. It shows in honesty, accountability, and standing by what is right. In our mixed-up world, which often rewards fake masks and shortcuts, integrity has to count as a deeply courageous act.

Also, there is that superpower, courage. So, I ask myself, what is courage, then? The answer comes up as, courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the determination and choice to move forward, to act, to fix things, despite the fear. Courage turns ordinary people into heroes, people such as the firefighters, caregivers, friends, policemen, parents, you, and hopefully I, too.

About me and superpowers question, if I mentioned any of them in relation to me, they would cease to be superpowers, wouldn't they! I certainly hope they do show up when I need them, though.

As such, superpowers are not out of reach. They are already within each person. Our challenge is to recognize, believe, and keep them pure inside us, so we can use them, daily, when needed. This is each person's choice and in that choice lies each person's greatness. As another quote says, "There is a superhero in all of us. We just need the courage to put on the cape."