What We Should Learn From Superheroes

I will never forget the days of waking up early to watch my favourite superheroes before I went to school. The excitement of seeing them beat the bad guys and conquer the day, motivated me. I wanted to be just like them. The only problem was, I had no superpowers.

At some point in our lives, we all wish we had superpowers. Whether that is to make life slightly easier for ourselves or to defeat our enemies. We all could use some superpowers to make our lives better.

One of my favourite superheroes as a child, was Superman. He always seemed to do the right thing and was pretty much unbeatable. The only problem was, he had a weakness that made him lose all his powers. And that led him to encounter many challenges along his journey of saving the world.

Without his superpowers, Superman became a human just like us. And it always made him too weak and dumb to fight the bad guys off. Like a loser, he would get beaten and tossed around by the evil person. As a viewer, I would always feel sorry for Superman at this point because he was only human. He could not do anything else.

Nevertheless, Superman always found a way to come back and regain his strength. And I have always found it interesting that superheroes at their point of weakness become human like you and me. They have to go through a journey of humanity to find their strength again.

So, despite Superman not having the same physical strength he had without kryptonite. I have found that humanity has its superpowers too. And these powers are portrayed in the superhero when they are weak.

Here are a few things I have learnt from watching superheroes at their weakest moments.

Humans Can Think Outside the Box

Many superheroes never have to think outside the box. That is because their powers always seem to be their solution. However, when their powers are gone, they have to think of a new way to defeat the evil person.

Superheroes with their back against the wall, have to think like a human. They may have to find a unique way of escape, or use something in their environment to assist them.

Superheroes like Batman and Iron Man are closest to us in the way they operate. They do not have any superpowers, but they are smart and can think outside the box. With these two things, they can build gadgets that help them conquer evil.

For the superhero who is never faced with adversity, they struggle to come up with creative ideas. That is because they have spent much time in their comfort zone. However, as humans, we do not have that luxury. We are constantly faced with challenges every day that we have to solve.

Although these problems can cause us much pain, they make us stronger. And superheroes display that when they are weak. They learn to adapt to life without being comfortable. And develop a resilient mindset that can come up with ideas.

We have become intelligent because we have had to face adversity time and time again. Through constant suffering, we develop a way to deal with the pain of doing everyday tasks. Someone who is fully able may not appreciate their ability to think outside the box.

However, those who are not as able due to disability show us what the human mind can do. People with no hands learn how to do tasks with their feet and mouth. And for those who are blind, they develop their seeing through using different senses.

The power to adapt is a superpower that superheroes learn whilst they are weak. And that comes from us.

So, remember that through being uncomfortable you develop the ability to think outside the box. In doing so, you build your resilience for the next challenge that comes your way.

We Can Work in a Team

Another thing you find is that superheroes have to learn how to co-operate with humans. Superman spent much of his time communicating with humans outside of his superhero duties. However, he did most communicating when he was weak.

If you have watched the Avengers, you will find that Superheroes struggle to work together. There is always a point of conflict whilst trying to save the world.

However, we like it or not, humans have had to learn how to work with each other to survive. Many of us think we are independent and do not need anyone’s help. But that is not the case. Almost everything we have is because of someone else’s efforts.

The smartphones we use and the things we purchase are reliant on other people’s actions. Even our favourite products would not exist if no other people were buying them. We have learnt to live in a system that supports all of us, whilst trying to bring about the best in us too.

There are still gaps in humanity, and we still have many problems to solve. But the reality is, we have managed to build a network through working together. And superheroes with crazy powers never have to depend on anyone until they are weak. However, through their weakness, they learn the value of friendship, teamwork and co-operation.

In the end, it is not just the superhero who saves the day, but everyone’s efforts in helping them. So next time you are dreading working with a team, remember that humanity is built on teamwork. And when used correctly, it is a superpower that helps us thrive.

We Find a Greater Meaning In Life

Superheroes often go through an identity crisis during their story. They start to question why they do anything and what life is all about. Superman often struggled with his identity as he continued to switch in and out of the human and superhero world.

Another superhero that comes to mind is Wolverine. He constantly lost the idea of his purpose and did not know what to do with his immortal life. Superheroes tend to struggle to find any meaning because their lives are comfortable.

However, as humans, we know that our lives are fragile and could end at any moment. We do not have super strength or immortality, so we have to consider each step we take. And in doing so, we find fulfillment in our short and fragile lives here on Earth.

Friedrich Nietzsche highlights that humans survive through finding meaning in their suffering.

“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”

Superheroes do not do much suffering because they always have the power to overcome it. However, we must learn that there are some things we will never be able to overcome. That may be the loss of a loved one or heartbreak.

No matter what it is, we learn to find a deeper meaning in our suffering and can turn our lives around for the better. I remember watching superman lose all his powers and struggle through life as a human. But when he met the love of his life, Lois Lane, he found meaning. Even to the point where he wanted to become fully human.

So, next time you are going through suffering, remember we have a superpower to find meaning in it.

Closing Thoughts

It is hard being human, so the life of a superhero always seems attractive. Especially when we see superheroes who become like us end up losing. However, in the loss, the superhero becomes better and stronger than ever.

I have grown to appreciate my humanity. I may not be able to fly away from my problems or run super speeds. But through having to face my problems, I have grown some superpowers of my own. And so have you.

So having superpowers for a day or two may be exciting, but I would never trade it for my human experience. That is because I have seen that even superheroes become the best version of themselves when they live a human experience.