Superheroes

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word:

“Superhero”

You think of an individual who possess “extraordinary or superhuman powers,” who is dedicated to protecting the public. The prototypical superheroes that come to mind are Superman, Spider-man, and super-heroine Wonder Woman, but then there are vigilantes as Batman and Green Arrow without such super-powers who share other superhero traits. The majority of DC and Marvel Comics superheroes use their powers to counter day-to-day crime, while also combating threats against humanity by super-villains; or in Captain America’s case, Nazism or Communism, and for Thor, godlike or demonic creatures.

Recognizing that most characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes, it’s safe to say that superheroes do not only exist in comic books. So when I hear the word superhero, the first thing that comes to mind are not the characters created and found in fantasy/adventure fiction, but the extraordinary individuals in the world around us, whom possess superhero traits, who are positively impacting, contributing, making, and leaving the world  better than prior to entering it.

I think Dave Chappelle said it best when asked about Richard Pryor, he noted:

“The mark of greatness is when everything before you is obsolete and everything after you bears your mark.”

The same can be said about several people, personally, individuals like, Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson, Steve Jobs, Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther, Muhammad Ali…, just to name a few, are superheroes in my eyes. But I believe the same can be said and true about any of us today, if not someday.

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