I’m a huge comic book fan. And although I don’t use my allowance on comics anymore (what with a mortgage, young child, new house and other assorted fun stuff) I’m still in love with comics.

The essence of the comic is the superhero. Really, it’s about lots of different characters, their funky powers and how they band together to smack around endlessly optimistic and egomaniacal bad guys. Bad guys are endlessly optimistic because they think they can always win, but they never really do. Anyway…

Superheroes are cool. They’ve got amazing powers. They always show up at the right time. They always seem to win. And even when they’re beaten down they prevail. Damn you superheroes.

I want to be a superhero. And in our own ways, each of us can be.

But even superheroes have limitations

And that’s what makes them even more interesting. Almost all superheroes have a human element of frailty or weakness. For some it’s an Achilles heel (like kryptonite for Superman) but for others it’s a personality behavioural issue that they’re always dealing with. They’re human. (Even if they’re not all human, they possess positive and negative human qualities.)

It’s great that our superheroes always win; there’s a motivating and engaging excitement about that. But what really draws me to comics is the way superheroes’ frailties are examined, because it’s at that point that I can truly relate.

We all want to be superheroes

But it’s critical to recognize our own limitations and be able to handle them. Know your strengths and recognize your weaknesses. Spreading yourself too thin is so easy nowadays, the world is ripe with opportunity, but the result of doing that is rarely pleasant.

Strive for superhero status every day, but don’t forget that you have limitations; limitations you want to always push against, but limitations you also need to respect for your own sanity, health and good fortune.

Photos by Cinencuentro and ChenJYu.