Weight
Back in the days of Xanga, I used to end every post with ‘I’m off to save the world again!’
Can anyone even comprehend how much weight that would be on one person, if they had to save the entire world? Did anyone ever think of how much pressure was on Spider-man when Dr. Octavius was about to take over the world? Or what about all of the times Superman had to stop an evil villain from global domination?
Think about it… Every single human life resting on your shoulders. Be it someone trying to take over the world, a meteor flying at our planet that, upon impact, would send such a shock throughout the world that everyone would be blown to pieces? Or here’s a more realistic theory- you’re the one person on the world able to stop the approaching nuclear war.
Every single human life. Every man, mother, child, grandmother, cousin, brother, father, sister, whatever there possibly is. Everyone from the president of the United States, to the faceless hobo on the streetcorner, to your parents, to your wife, to your kids. Everyone in the world, resting on your shoulder. And if you fuck it up, they’re all gone, and it’s all your fault. You’d have to live with that for the rest of your life, if you weren’t dead too.
No pressure, right?
A humanistic approach to superhero-ing. Who woulda thunk it? Check out wereviking.wordpress.com for thoughts in a similar vein.