Modern Superheroes.

After tuning in to any form of news for even a limited amount of time, I find myself wishing for something incredible: some form of vigilante do-gooder to fix the problems within our community. Upon hearing stories of writers' guild strikes, devastating forest fires, convenient store robberies, fraudulent e-mails, proposed subdivisions at the base of the foothills in precious open-space, or even increasing gas rates (simply to name a few), I find myself with a yen for someone to climb out from the sewers of our city, and play the part of Superhero.

Each time I watch the news on television, or hear news on the on the radio, or even read news in my e-mail inbox, I am disappointed. Each day, I find that no hero has arisen from the ashes. After several years of disillusionment, I think I have found a better course for my day-to-day life. That is, I have set it my constant goal to become a Superhero.

At first, I had to determine the answer to the question "What makes a Superhero?" Several qualities came to mind… Strength: After all, wouldn't Superman be just another nobody if he didn't lift cars as dumbbells everyday? Sex Appeal: Could Spiderman really get away with wearing spandex in public if he didn't have washboard abs and buns-of steel? Technology: The bat would just be a man if he didn't have his bat mobile. A troubled, or at least interesting past: would people care about Wonder Woman if she hadn't come from an island of Amazons?

Presenting this list of qualities also presented numerous obstacles in my transformation: I do not posses particularly 'super' assets to my physical appearance. I've spent a total of possibly five hours in a weight room—in my entire life. I have never won in an arm wrestling contest, and I often find it difficult to open bottles of cranberry juice. Although I can navigate my MySpace account, though mostly out of necessity, I am often too technologically impaired to switch from DVD mode to VCR mode on our universal TV remote. And other than being taught my older brother to ballroom dance at age four, my past isn't anything glamorous.

Thus, the brainstorming continued. Altruistic: Mighty Mouse saves the world because he cares more about the safety of others more than how to improve his own personal living situation. Strong-Willed: Even though they might get put into mortal danger for doing it, they are never afraid to stand up for the underdog. Bias-free: The endangered is always the innocent, and the attacker always the bad guy, there are no gray areas: crime is very black and white.

This was my start. Being altruistic, strong-willed, and bias-free are very attainable qualities for everyone. All it takes is a little more thought in your daily activities. Instead of walking through life perfunctorily, one should try to put effort into decisions. By all means, these changes start gradually.

The next time I eat yoghurt, I'll be sure to crush the container before throwing it away. That way, when a small landfill-dwelling creature decides that he too would like yoghurt to be his midnight snack, he won't get trapped inside the plastic and be sent to a stinky grave. BAM! That was the first step. By taking two seconds out of my day, and devoting it to someone else, I am now a Superhero to that one small animal.

Next time I hear a derogatory comment, especially one not directed at me, I'll be sure to stand up for the person being made the butt of the joke. KAPOW! Now I'm hero to at least one person, and they might not even know it… An act that qualifies for being strong-willed, and also a secret identity! The next time I see a peer having a rough day, I'll try and help them, even if they're not particularly popular in my friend circle. LIGHTNING! By being un-biased enough in my opinion of them to give them a few minutes, and strong-willed enough to do the right thing regardless of popular opinion, I've become a hero to a peer.

After all these small steps, I've come to realize that no one can be a Superhero all the time. Could Superman exist without Clark Kent? But by being a hero in even one small instant of one day, one is a Superhero. If we were all heroes for just several moments each day, then we wouldn't need the face of a Superhero to pull a community together; we could do it for ourselves... And that, my friend, is how to save the world.