"from the first day he mysteriously appeared we were enamoured. he seemed too good to be true. a man who could fly, see through walls, bend steel with his bare hands. a man who never lied. a man who could do anything he wanted to yet he chose to be a hero." -- lois lane, viabut what happens when a hero fails you? i was once told the great weakness of superman was his inability to be in two places at once - ironic that despite all the human weaknesses overcome by his alien origin, his demise is the same as every single individual in this great big world: time and space. and with the realization that his challenge is the same as ours, a slight amount of awe is lost. it inspires sympathy, but without trust. while his physical abilities set him apart from the human race, his character faults are just like ours. so why doesn't the world need superman?
1. the world already has a Savior.
2. how many other superheros are there, anyway?
3. society already has enough perpetually single men to deal with.
4. spandex doesn't look good on
anyone.
lois lane has more reasons than i do, but she also had ten more years to mull it over. although i've had much less time to think about it, i'm familiar with the hurt she must have experienced and the abandonment she was subjected to. here i am, lois lane. writing away, convincing myself that i don't need superman. my reasons will multiply with time, as hers did, i think.
for now, i believe. simply. i believe in marriage. i believe in family. i believe God has a plan for me. i believe in many things.
but superman is a myth.
