Sweeter than Fiction

I read the entire Percy Jackson series from cover to cover in eleven days. The fantastic nature of the stories was a captivating escape: for a few minutes at a time, I fight the minotaur or meet Artemis instead of writing something boring for homework. Even more interesting than the richly colorful world of Percy Jackson were his abilities; being Poseidon’s son, Percy can breathe underwater, sail inhumanly well, create seawater out of nowhere, control the water around him, and gets strength, health, and stamina simply by being in contact with water. One of Athena’s daughters takes an interest in him for some reason and he duplicates a lot of Heracles’s feats – and even does some of them better than Heracles did. I’m sure it won’t surprise anyone acquainted with my proclivity for delusional daydreams that I adored the vicarious experience.

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The limitations of superpowers

I watched Megamind last night with my friends. One of the characters is a “superhero” called Titan, who ends up being less of a hero than the city was hoping for. The entire movie asks viewers what they would do with superpowers. Really, it asks viewers what a villain is, what a hero is, and which one each of us is.

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The unlikely role model

Author’s note: This post refers frequently to the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series. It may be difficult to appreciate without first becoming familiar with the series – in particular, with its characters. I have made no effort to avoid revealing what happens. When I say Avatar, think of the little, bald Airbender. At no point in this post will I refer to blue people with USB ports to their brains.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve watched half of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series with my roommates. We’ve followed Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph in their adventures as they’ve met several other characters, including Zuko, Azula, and Iroh. It struck me recently that the characters are archetypal; probably, this was intended by the creators of the series. Aang is agile of body and mind and embodies gentleness. Katara is kind and determined and learns quickly. Toph is stubborn, direct, and a little boorish. Zuko is hot-headed and impulsive. Azula is calculating, precise, and completely unscrupulous. Iroh is ridiculous and lazy on the outside, but his actions reveal that he is compassionate and patient. Each one has a background that makes his or her personality plausible.

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Everyone's special: another way of saying no one is

I’ve been going through the cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender with my roommates recently. It reminds me of all of the great adventure movies, books, and shows that I have enjoyed and that I still enjoy. There’s something fantastic about watching or reading about someone who uses fantastic ability (super or not) to accomplish great things. I get a huge rush out of vicariously saving the world, especially when it requires stupendous skill to do so. The more I think about it, though, the more I think that the rush comes from the illusory satisfaction of my colossal vanity.

I keep thinking of the conversation that Dash has with his mother in The Incredibles:

Dash: But Dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of, our powers made us special.
Helen: Everyone's special, Dash.
Dash: [muttering] Which is another way of saying no one is.
(Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/quotes)

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Even Spiderman...

I frequently hear comments about myself. People say things like "Petey can talk with anyone," "Well, he's Petey - of course he can [insert action here]," and "Petey is always happy." Not knowing what to say, I usually content myself with a quip about people thinking that I have superpowers.

I'll leave the debate about superpowers for another day, as it is irrelevant to this post.

My point is that, superpowers or no, even superheroes can't do it all. Spiderman failed to save his girlfriend's life (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Gwen_Stacy_Died). Superman even died (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Superman)! And Petey absolutely cannot do it all - I have limitations.

I'll digress long enough to explain that although I am usually cheerful, I am not always happy. Even people who seem happy are not always happy. Please take time to be kind to everyone, including the people who don't seem like they need it.

I was up late doing homework the last couple of nights. As a result, I slept in a little later than I'd hoped to be up this morning. I got up in time for my busy day: I was going to start at 9am and likely have no breaks in church-related and other meetings and social events until about 7pm, with a short break around 5pm for dinner. I got up at 8am, which was enough time to be ready to go at 9am. As so commonly happens, something came up that I didn't expect and I didn't get any breakfast by my first appointment in the morning.

For those who aren't aware, I am hypoglycemic and am under doctor's orders to eat regularly and healthily. By 10am, I was already feeling the effects of low blood sugar and knew that I wouldn't be worth much to anyone - including myself - if I didn't get something to eat. The only optional event in my schedule began at 10am, so I bowed out of one of my favorite Sunday activities: going to a hospital to sing hymns to those who want them. Instead, I ate breakfast and wrote an email to my little brother, who is a missionary in Florida.

As much as I want to be a good student, serve others, and perform well in every aspect of my life, I can't do everything. I sure wish I could, though. I guess it's time to let go.