Superheroes

I watched Hancock last Saturday - the first movie I have watched in more than two months (I don't remember the last one) and my very first here in Marbel.

It was another superb performance (my opinion) from Will Smith. Had another actor played the role, I would not have appreciated the movie. I wasn't expecting for a literal modern day superhero. Will Smith did not exactly have the "superhero" look on the movie poster. So I was quite surprised to see the man flying.

A lot of times, Hancock was on the verge of crying, or perhaps, he already was crying. Lesson is, Men do cry, even the strongest and most powerful ones. And such act does not make them less manly. I think he's the first superhero I've seen who came closest to crying. Or did I see Spiderman cry? Oh, I don't remember.

Speaking of Superheroes, do they exist in reality? Nah, never in the past, at present or in the future, unless mutations will give rise to the existence of mutants like X-Men. That's not happening in the near future or in my lifetime. I hope it won't happen at all.

So why do we create images and stories of superheroes when we know that they never existed and will never exist? Moviemakers, storytellers and artists probably would reason that superheroes are products of their creativity and great imagination. Art is art, regardless of it's being realistic or not.

But superheroes would not gain much popularity unless they are patronized by people. Yes, superhero stories are popular because we crave for them. We want them to solve our biggest problems on the spot. We need them to fight criminals. We want them to protect us from everything bad. And we want them to have feelings and fall in love with us, thus, we want them to be humans, too. I don't remember a superhero who does not have a love affair.

If they will be humans like us, they, too will be susceptible to errors.They can feel rejection. They may get overwhelmed. They can be influenced. And they will have problems as well. And their problems might become our problems, too. They may be working for us at one point and against in another. There is no assurance. There is no security.

More bothering is that we will direct to them all of our burdens and responsibilities. In the long run, we find ourselves very dependent; and we are not anymore capable of taking control of our lives. Everything will be given and when superheroes will suddenly go, die or evaporate, how will we survive?

So do we really need superheroes? I believe not... We are already good as we are. We make mistakes. We learn.

Survivor

Have you ever considered joining this hit reality tv show?

With a one million dollar prize, millions dream of joining Survivor. I do watch but I am not among the many who want to join.

I see the show, like many (but NOT all) reality shows as the easiest way to ruin and shame one's self, emotionally and psychologically. And what is worse is that millions get to witness your fall.

Worldly motivations prevail - the money, fame and glory. It is competition in its dirtiest form. Values are tested and judged. If you want to stay in the game, you have to outwit everyone. And in doing so, you compromise ethics and morals. You make friends but will have to betray them one way or another in order to get ahead. Or maybe you will only befriend them as a strategy. It then becomes hard to know what's real and what's not. . . .

Others would say that it's only a game, nothing personal. But there is really nothing that's not personal in this world. It's a game, but a cruel and ugly one.

The show Survivor does not reflect the true meaning of the word. Surviving is not about competing with other people and emerging Number 1. In life, your only competitor is yourself. And the real prize - a happy, healthy and value-oriented existence. . .