….So, which superpower would you pick? What would you do with it?
Several years ago, I was going to work to handle some inventory for the site. Some new Superman shirts came in, created by Alex Ross. If you don’t know Alex Ross, then you simply haven’t experienced what it means to see and believe in real life superheroes.
Coincidentally, I was listening to NPR/This American Life on the radio in my car. If you don’t know about NPR and This American Life with Ira Glass… then you there is simply no hope for you and your fellow American Idol/Survivor watching friends. Get some culture and listen to this extraordinary station.
This one particular show, they focused on Superheroes. For me, it was what NPR calls, “a driveway moment,” where the story is so engrossing, so captivating that no matter what you were previously planning on doing, no matter how important it was, whether it was a blind date or a meeting with your parole officer or you have ice cream in the back seat waiting to be put in your freezer… it was just going to have to wait until you were done listening to the show. It was that engrossing.
Ira did a spectacular show. It was a series of small short stories that, together, created a well rounded look at the realm of everyday people and superpowers. The real “superhero.” It gave me a glimmer of what others secretly were thinking of, but were too afraid to talk about in public, something I honestly believe I think about 8-12 hours each day. Who doesn’t want to be a superhero?
I tuned in when Ira was contrasting and comparing the age old question, “For a superpower, would you want to have invisibility or flying?” They uncovered that, depending on which answer you chose, it would reveal what kind of person you were hiding from the real world. That, dreaming of flying or invisibility isn’t just some comic nerd’s idle fantasy in his mom’s basement, but an actual mirror or glimmer into a person’s psyche.
Me? … I’d pick flying any day of the week. Hands down. That is, until a friend of mine, Paula, she was one of my many foxy office managers till she got married and knocked up and moved to the east coast, till she told me her superpower would be telekinesis. I thought that was stupid and boring. Come on, who want’s to move a spoon or brick with their mind? Big deal. She then went on to say, “why settle for flying alone when you could fly yourself and others with telekinesis?” …. I was stumped. Good point. So now, my choice is, “flying, via telekinesis.”
On the radio show, the one question people had to answer was, “what would you do with this superpower?” … Me? I was the one person who answered what nobody else even thought of. But I was in my car, by myself, so it didn’t count. You’ll have to listen to the show to understand what I mean. I won’t spoil it for you.
But! The gem of the stories was “The List.” This woman… this spectacular woman, from when she was a kid, created a list of what she needed to accomplish in order for her to be a superhero. … and she did it. She actually became Bruce Wayne, without the money. Everything from hang gliding to karate to chemistry and geology, she did it. She graduated high school at a young age, then college. Then, when she achieved her goal of completing everything on her list, she wasn’t sure what was to come next. A friend of hers suggested joining the CIA, so she did.
The interview process lasted 2 years. This was right after I was applying to be a cop with the Portland Police department, so I could relate to her experience. I always wanted to be a cop, to fight crime, to put bad guys down or behind bars. … I hate bad guys. Everyone of them from dealers to thieves to really bad guys. My attitude was… “bring it on.” I didn’t care if I was one of those gay bicycle cops or had some foot beat in North Portland (No-Po) where there’s an abundance of Popeye’s Fried Chicken and malt liquor bottles on the streets. I wanted in. So I totally ate up “The List.”
Do yourself a favor, take an hour or so to listen to Ira Glass at This American Life – Superpowers. You won’t be disappointed. Below is a summary of their stories.
This American Life - Superpowers
