I just saw Captain America...I know - finally. You would think a Disney fanatic such as myself would have seen this before. Somehow I just hadn't gotten around to it.
Now it's no secret I love superhero movies. What's not to love? They are action packed. There's always some sort of romance. They address pretty solid themes (the classic good vs. evil comes to mind). The hero is always attractive and has an interesting, and - yes - sexy attitude that makes him just plain irresistible. So we have discovered, once again, how deep my waters really run.
Anyway, I was watching Captain America, and thought that while I still love Ryan Reynolds, not only does Chris Evans give him a tough run for his money, but the movie itself was about a trillion times better. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed Green Lantern very much. I know if I watched it right now I would still enjoy it. But it's like the difference between eating a store bought, packaged cookie as opposed to a warm, homemade cookie. You enjoy the one you bought at the store, but you'll typically choose the homemade cookie every time. And while I was considering this and trying to push that strange guilty feeling away (I promise I wasn't saying anything horrible about Ryan Reynolds!) I thought about just what it is that makes superheroes so amazing. Some people would claim that there is nothing super special about superheroes. Strip away the suits, cars, weapons, radio-active spiders, kryptonite, etc. and what do you have? these people scoff. Well, I have an answer:
The ultimate self sacrifice.
Superheroes are amazing because they always put "the other" before themselves. Wow. Think about it. In every superhero movie you have seen the hero has at least a small moment in which he or she makes the conscious decision to sacrifice him or herself for the love interest, the city, the nation, the world...It seems this trait is what makes superheroes so gosh-darned special.
Well, DUH, Steph! you say. We all know that. Talk about stating the obvious.
It is obvious - or it should be. But we tend to view these characters as complete and utter fiction. Now I know they are. I realize there is no such person as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, etc. As much as I love viewing the world through my fantasy lenses I know there is a difference between daydreams and reality. My point here is this: we shouldn't be so shocked at the idea of people who are willing to give themselves for someone else when we have the opportunity to witness this everyday.
My older brother has made a conscious decision that if it comes down to it he will lay down his life for someone else. My younger brother has made the same conscious decision to put his life on the line for another. I guess they must have something in common...
I know the police, especially in LA right now, get a lot of bad press. And there is something to that: there are ordinary people on the police force - ordinary people who make good, and bad, decisions everyday. And, like most ordinary people, they make mistakes and falter and fall. Yes. There are true "bad cops" out there. Unfortunately we shine a light on these ordinary human beings, focusing not on their humanity but in their inhumanity. We throw up our arms in outrage - how dare the police do these things?? And to a certain extent we should. It never does to have people in positions of authority using their place for harm. The trouble is we focus so much on these bad pictures that we forget about the good. We forget about the men and women who every single day strap on their guns and badges and walk around understanding that if it comes down to it they will make the ultimate sacrifice that day. How quickly we forget that without these amazing men and women we would be lost, and in serious danger. We're so quick to judge them, to see them as villains, when in reality when we see those black and white cars we are looking at a true Batmobile. When we see the blue uniforms we are looking at a real Superman suit. Every day we see honest-to-God superheroes.
It's interesting...If we villainize cops, I think we can easily say we dumb-down fire fighters. I do it, too. I look at a fire truck and don't always see Spidey's webs - the tool to get around town. When I pass a firehouse I have to admit there are times when I see a calendar, with an attractive guy for each month. It's horrible! I can't even begin to count how many times I've heard, or been part of, a conversation that goes something like this:
Well, I was running late but there were fire fighters in the store so it wasn't all bad.
That's the best! I love looking at those fire fighters.
In our rush to view fire fighters as the golden boys we forget that they are much more important than eye candy. Every time they receive a call they know they are heading to an emergency. And while most of the situations may be medical emergencies many of them are not. Structure fires, accidents, goodness - the hills of Santa Barbara seem to be on fire all the time. All these situations are dangerous, and the fire fighters not only hold a hose in their hands, but the knowledge that they will risk everything to protect another person. Everything. We somehow miss the superhero when we see them.
I see heroes everyday. I have true heroes in my family. And I pray everyday that they will be safe. That the people they protect will not require that sacrifice, because I know my brothers will make it. I stare at the women who love them in awe - it takes a special, strong, heroic woman to love a man who has made the decision to be a superhero. I hope the people who cross paths with my brothers will treat them as heroes, rather than villains, or calendar boys.
How can you be sure they are heroes? you may be asking me right now. Well, it's because I know if they see this they will respond with the same response all the superheroes make: "I'm just doing my job." And they will - even if they job means laying down their lives for another person.
God bless the heroes.
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