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I recently read this essay on the IGN site's weekly comic book page, which you can find at www.ign.com. I was touched by this, and hope that you'll agree with me. May your God or Goddess be with you, Kirayoshi The Column of Tomorrow Superman is here. September 13, 2001 "Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul I swear until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share...I'll never stop fighting. Ever." Anyone reading this is quite aware of the tragic events in New York City this past Tuesday. No words I utter can ever hope to describe how it felt to see these events live, albeit via television, and I cannot begin to imagine how it feels for those at ground zero or those who lost loved ones. As bad as I feel about this attack against my country, I know that the people who lost loved ones or had to be directly confronted by this horror (literally) are experiencing an indescribable pain. While America and the world sit stunned by the coordination and efficiency of these terrorist attacks, we must not forget that those directly affected by this nightmare will be haunted forever. While some of us can turn off the television with the hope of somehow blocking these images out of our minds, some may never be able to close their eyes without seeing these very images. This isn't fiction. This isn't a movie or a comic book. Superman won't be coming to save us. Or has he? I've always seen Superman as a metaphor for the power of the human spirit and soul. His extra-ordinary powers always struck me as some kind of metaphor to show what one can do when they approach something with a pure heart and determination. He isn't super because of his alien origins or his powers: it is his unyielding purity of heart and devotion to good that make him special. But Superman isn't any better than human beings: he is just representative of a human who has embraced his own capacity to do good and be good. In that respect one can reasonably conclude that there is a Superman inside all of us. There is a shining beacon of light in all of us that cannot be defeated by any Kryptonite. If you didn't believe it before, the sheer altrusim and goodness displayed after Tuesday's vicious attack is proof of our capacity to do good and to be good. We've seen men and women, who've never known each other before, banding together simply because it is the right thing to do. We've seen total strangers risk their lives to save other strangers for the simple reason that all life is sacred. We've seen a nation united in order to help each other regardless of race, religion or beliefs. We've seen people put aside their anger to focus energy on peace and rebuilding. What more must people do before we realize that Superman lives inside all of us? Perhaps the greatest ideals to carry in our hearts and to seek to epitomize come from Superman himself. When confronted by the worst humanity has to offer, in the recent Action Comics #775, Superman was able to triumph and say this: "Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul I swear until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share...I'll never stop fighting. Ever." And in our hearts, we must do the same. We have the power to change the world simply by being and the fact that we are alive today only reinforces the duty we have to do good in this world. Not all of us will pull the triggers to defend our country. Not all of us will rush into burning buildings or tend to the wounds. But all of us can do one thing: remember that the Superman living inside each of us is more than apparent when we look at how much good each us can do to turn this tragedy into a victory for the free world. Do not give into hate. Do not give into mindless vengeance. Embrace the opportunity to change the world simply by giving all you can in light of the cowardly attempts to break our spirits. Show these terrorists that while they show us the ugliness that they have to offer, we will respond with the best that humanity has to offer. They cannot win unless we compromise who we are. They cannot win unless we sacrifice our dreams. Our capacity to do good and to be good is far stronger than the hate of organized cowards. Hopefully we've also all learned one of the most profound truths in life: all human life is precious regardless of any superficial differences. While it is unfortunate that such tragedy is what brings us together, one can hope that we all take a second to look around us and see how great we all are. We're not asking people what religious beliefs they subscribe to or differentiating by gender, age and race. We're helping people without a second thought. Let us hope that the sight of so many different people working together shows everyone that in the end, it is our hearts that unite us and it is this unity that gives us strength. And so when you ask "What would Superman do?" just look inside your heart and you'll find that he would do the same as us. God bless everyone. -- Arune Singh is proud to be American. Download NeoPlanet at http://www.neoplanet.com |