Superheroes

How do we define a ‘superhero’? 

Some have wonderful gifts placed upon them by radiation or errant spiders but some have only their brain to work with – not as some mutant but more like ‘Iron Man’ who is an industrialist technocrat, with no physical abilities beyond what they are born with.

We all admire superheroes. We all gasp in admiration as a dedicated troupe of actors portrays them on the big screen for our entertainment.

Most of them impress us with their size and strength, others with their speed but some, like ‘Deadpool’ impress us with humour – those wicked, throwaway one-liners.

Of course, ‘Deadpool’ also impresses us with his choice of lady friend…

But what about real life? What possible connection can we make with people who live in the now, in reality? People who exist all around us? 

Superheroes abound.

There are countless tales of human beings throwing themselves into burning buildings to rescue pets and babies. Firemen do it all the time, they take inordinate risks to rescue people who, some of the time, would be better left to burn along with the building.

Policemen and women take risks all the time. Even something as boring and mundane as a traffic stop to issue a speeding ticket or check out a rear light is an opportunity for a crazed felon to strike.

We don’t know what will happen or when. Nurses know that they are going to be working long hours; that they are likely to be attacked at some point by a drunk or a lunatic whose life the nurse is attempting to save.

Nurses do not have the option to step back and tell the injured party to just go ahead and die.

Ambulance drivers and paramedics are preyed upon by street people who are attracted to the drugs they believe the ambulances have in them.

All these people are superheroes. They have great skills that those of us who have never trained for such exigencies cannot understand. We just pray that we have no need, in our lifetimes, for these skills.

Of course there are others. There are those that I have not mentioned. There are people in our security services, our armed forces, maritime people who dive to rescue others and take risks to recover ships and bodies within sunken ships.

Superheroes abound.

But what of ordinary folk? People who have not had specialist training, who are just ‘people next door’ that go about their ordinary daily lives; their humdrum, boring everyday lives?

A little while ago I saw a report accompanied by a video – yes, the ubiquitous cell phone camera video, of a motorcyclist who was trapped underneath a burning car with which he had been in a collision with.

People sprang out from all around and lifted the car so that one brave soul could reach underneath and pull the motorcyclist out.

Lifted a car? Superheroes. All of them.

Yesterday I was required to go to a children’s party. Not one of my favourite pastimes; I have tinnitus, loud noise is an anathema to me.

Nevertheless I went. 

Yes, it was loud. Uncomfortably so.

My cousin appeared. He is a surgeon in real life.

The point is that he appeared wearing a ‘Spiderman’ outfit.

For the benefit of all the children there at the party, a well-known surgeon appeared dressed as ‘Spidey’!

He was not embarrassed, he had fun but I bet he was sweating profusely under that padded costume!

A Superhero playing the part of a superhero.

‘Spidey’

Superheroes.

They abound. 

Everywhere.