I miss my youth.
One of my first and most favorite memories are of watching the Christopher Reeve “Superman” series of movies. The era of their release, 1978-1987, was a pretty optimistic time for the USA, and for the Western world. Reeve’s embodiment of this incorruptible force for right was a revelation, even if the movies weren’t all great. Superman as a pop culture icon reached a new level.
Today, we act differently. Many people find it hard to trust, and the goodwill that seemed more common 25 years ago seems to be nearly impossible to find. I have heard rumblings throughout the comic book community that suggest that Superman is too old fashioned. I hear people crying out for a Batman, a darker hero who will take out the scary men in the shadows.
This is simply the OPPOSITE of true.
As much as I love Batman as a character, if we lose what Superman brings to the table, then our culture weakens. Superman COULD enslave the world, but because of the values he learned growing up on a Kansas farm, he wants to help. He WANTS to keep humanity from the abyss. He wants to try to make us better, because he knows that in doing so, he makes HIMSELF better.
Since I was about 6, I have had a real connection with the Superman character. That was when I found out that I was adopted. I remember trying to understand the concept. Once it all set in, I realized that I was like Clark: born to people I would never know, but raised by people who loved me and wanted to teach me right. I may not have grown up on a farm – unless tree farms count – but I did grow up in a town not unlike Smallville. I would have nothing to feel good about if I had not absorbed the values my parents worked so hard to impart. I owe everything to them, and I will always be grateful.
The notion of someone choosing to do good will never be an antiquated one. In one of my favorite movies, “The Iron Giant,” the title character is told “you are who you choose to be.” The choice that the giant makes both inspires and breaks the heart.
As Superman’s story is retold for another generation, it seens to me that the story NEEDS to be retold for today’s kids. We will never be beyond choosing to help others. The capacity to move past our selfish natures is crucial to our society holding together. We should all aspire to be Superman. We should believe that the least of us can fly, as long as the rest of us try to help them lift off.
Geek of All Trades 