Superpowers Are Real

And you already have some

Photo by TK on Unsplash

When my younger brother was about five, my parents asked him what he wanted for Christmas. To give a five year old free reign to craft a wish list underwritten by the full power vested in Santa Claus with no known restriction is an exercise in infinite imagination. My brother was prepared to spare Santa’s workshop no expense. He asked for a jetpack and a photon cannon (an electric blue laser rifle used by James Bond in the PlayStation 2 classic ‘Agent Under Fire’) that year. And if that wasn’t enough to get the elves working overtime, he had the chutzpah to ask for superpowers.

What he didn’t realize is that he had superpowers all along and was using one of them the moment he wrote his list.

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If we can’t fly, bench press tanks like the Hulk, and leap tall buildings in a single bound, then what are our powers? 

Our superpowers are of the intangible sort. Take creativity for example. You are able to use your own skill and mind to build something tangible, seemingly out of thin air. I had a vague idea about this essay before I wrote it, but the idea itself and everything within was conceived from some nebulous place. Look at all the buildings around you, the seat you’re sitting on, or your phone. All of these things did not exist at one time, but they were invented and made tangible from an idea. The world is malleable; you can build in the real world what you imagine in your mind and make your world. Even if you only do this once, you can make the world that much more beautiful. 

I planted a vegetable garden (with sweet peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers) with my girlfriend in May. This will provide a summer hobby for us, some homegrown pizzazz for our salads, and a temporary home for some insects during the summer. All of this comes from an idea in my head that I’d like to have a garden, and from it, I’m able to grow something by my own hand. Is that not a superpower?

And what of humor? There aren’t many tools more effective than humor to relate to another person, to ease your own burden, or to convince someone of something in a way they’ve never thought of before.  Humor is a delightful little power to have in your utility belt. It is disarming in a way that does not challenge the other person, but points out the comical nature of our surroundings. For example, if I spill something on my pants, but I’m able to transmute any embarrassment into laughter and use it to connect with the other person, isn’t that form of alchemy a superpower?¹

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Superpowers are real and you already have some, it just depends on how you define them. When my brother was architecting plans to overwork Santa’s elves, his power of Generative Pre-Manifestation (imagination) was at work.

Here are some other powers just off the top of my head: 

• Super Cognizance (awareness)

• All-Knowing (intuition)

• Super Senses (sub-communication)

• Unlimited Inquisitiveness (curiosity)

• Bottomless Affection (love)

• Immunity to Hardening of the Heart (generosity)

• Invulnerable Honor (integrity)

Ah, but many of these are ancient virtues you might say. Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. With a new coat of paint and marketing prowess though, these are superpowers and the beauty of it all is this: you already have powers of your own.

Read on for Part II: On Identifying Your Powers

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1. I would not be upset if someone called me ‘Humor-Man’.