TSteves
09-14-2007, 06:24 PM
“I will be king,
And you, You will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can beat them just for one day
We can be Heroes, just for one day”
-David Bowie- Heroes
What is a hero? In this day and age I think that that is a question more and more people are starting to ask because the need for them in our current world is so great.
There is a trend currently in movies, television and all facets of pop culture centering around the idea of superheroes and their fictional presence in the world. (Movies such as Superman Returns, Xmen, Spiderman, and the upcoming IronMan to name a few)
They are all characters currently being represented in modern forms but that got their start in comic books. And if any of you know the history of the comic book format you will know that early and present comic book writers draw from a mixture of past folkloric myth and social issues prevalent to what was happening in the culture at the time. Superman dealt with this in the fact that he was created during the depression and people were in need some sort of inspirational figure to help them cope with trials and such a “savior” so to speak. The reader of Superman comics and viewer of the films can also readily see the allusions to Superman as a “Christ” figure.
As I stated earlier, I think more than ever, the world is in need of heroes. The question is where are they???
I remember hearing a quote similar to this:
“Heroes are not born, they are revealed.”
I find the concept behind the show “Heroes” really intriguing. The concept centers around the question…”what would it be like if one day, out of the blue, people in real life started to exhibit extraordinary powers of different types? How would they function? What powers would they develop? How would it affect the various relationships in their lives???
It’s a brilliant “realist” and new take on a topic that has been done over and over again and more often than not massacred in film (the later Batman sequels, The Incredible Hulk Movie, Captain America, The Fantastic 4 - both versions LOL)
I happen to like the current trend in pop culture today focusing on “ultra realism”… And it’s obvious that for this cycle a majority of the world is following suit.
During WWII, many movie goers and such headed off to the movies for “escapist cinema”. And it was during those eras that movie musicals, comedies and war movies that glorified heroics rather than the true atrocities of war, became popular.
During that era that is what the culture needed to deal with the hardships of coming out of the depression and going into WWII. Because “mass Media“ wasn’t so mass like today, the culture was still relatively sheltered from the true nature of the world they lived in. It was only after WWII, the clearing of the concentration camps and the footage seen in both Pearl Harbor and the rebuttal in Japan, did the world see on a major scale all the various atrocities that man had created, be it unnecessary or necessary.
In our current culture, world-wide, there is no place to hide from the hardships we face. Be it terrorism on our own soil, the middle east, Darfur etc. we cannot escape and we cant glorify the heroics naively enough because we know now what some heroes had to do in order to “save the day” and sometimes….It ain’t pretty but it is necessary.
The “Cultural Child” has grown up…That doesn’t mean they are anymore responsible, it just means “their eyes were opened to their sin”. I think in this day and age it rings true…
So, why the fascination with realism? Could it be nothing more than a morbid curiosity? Like watching a train wreck waiting to see the deceased? Or is it something more? Could there be a shift in sensitivity? I think there are many reasons.
One reason that I think could be the most grounded is that since we cannot run and we are now in a “global” society where “evil abounds” we have no choice but to face the music and find some way to cope with the information we are being presented with, head on.
It’s almost like using our “enemy” to our advantage.
By dealing with issues in a “real” way but using fictional vehicles, we almost create easily accessible parables that help us cope with universal issues. This is especially true in areas where we feel weak, fearful or out of control.
I think this show is a hit and so relevant because at the current state of social awareness, many of us world-wide feel so out of control and fearful of what lies ahead. That issue coupled with the fact that many of our world leaders, be them either republican, democrat, socialist, or other…have let us down.
So the way we have chosen to deal with these new found realities is to look inward at ourselves and see if we can identify with what’s going on and hopefully ask the question; “What would we do, or have we done in that situation?” It’s a little bit self therapy and self evaluation.
“If/ then questions”
If the above statements are true, then what kind of application is there available from a show like that that we can apply to our own lives? Walk with me down this path…
Quantum Leap
Could it be that what our society subconsciously desires to do in some small way is look within for the “physical hero” that might be present?
For the purpose of this writing I’m dealing with the “Everyday Hero” that might be lurking inside each and every one of us, waiting to come out. Very much like the concept the TV show represents but in an even more real and practical way.
In the show several of the characters discover that they have or are developing “giftings” or special abilities unique only unto them. And through the course of each episode each of these gifts present themselves at a point when most needed. Often this is a shock to the person utilizing the gift and an amazement to the person or persons who are in need of the gift the giver is using.
What is the “real world” application of this? It’s very simple but it requires a step of faith. To quote a cheesy but true line from the movie Spiderman; “With great power comes great responsibility”
See, if a person realizes that they are gifted in one way or another they are presented with a series of choices that can both reveal and determine a lot of things about their character and potential path in life. And once that awareness is made, no matter how small, it immediately thrusts that person from a place once of naiveté into a place of adulthood from whence they can never return no matter how hard they try.
And the choices can sometimes really confuse the person they are being put upon.
“Do I develop those gifts to help others?”
“If I do, will it actually help or be a waste of time?”
“Will it be easy or hard to do?”
“What are the costs involved, financial, spiritual, physical emotional etc.?”
“What are my benefits?”
“What happens if I don’t?”
As you can see, these are just a sample of the questions that might arise. And In all honesty, questions like this are not easily answered in one fell swoop. And again the sad thing is that once we are aware and made known of 1st, the gifting within us and 2nd the questions that will arise as a result of the awareness, we can’t “unlearn them”. The “monster” is out of the box so to speak.
So we are forced to stand at the foot of the “Cross Roads”.
To be continued…….
And you, You will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can beat them just for one day
We can be Heroes, just for one day”
-David Bowie- Heroes
What is a hero? In this day and age I think that that is a question more and more people are starting to ask because the need for them in our current world is so great.
There is a trend currently in movies, television and all facets of pop culture centering around the idea of superheroes and their fictional presence in the world. (Movies such as Superman Returns, Xmen, Spiderman, and the upcoming IronMan to name a few)
They are all characters currently being represented in modern forms but that got their start in comic books. And if any of you know the history of the comic book format you will know that early and present comic book writers draw from a mixture of past folkloric myth and social issues prevalent to what was happening in the culture at the time. Superman dealt with this in the fact that he was created during the depression and people were in need some sort of inspirational figure to help them cope with trials and such a “savior” so to speak. The reader of Superman comics and viewer of the films can also readily see the allusions to Superman as a “Christ” figure.
As I stated earlier, I think more than ever, the world is in need of heroes. The question is where are they???
I remember hearing a quote similar to this:
“Heroes are not born, they are revealed.”
I find the concept behind the show “Heroes” really intriguing. The concept centers around the question…”what would it be like if one day, out of the blue, people in real life started to exhibit extraordinary powers of different types? How would they function? What powers would they develop? How would it affect the various relationships in their lives???
It’s a brilliant “realist” and new take on a topic that has been done over and over again and more often than not massacred in film (the later Batman sequels, The Incredible Hulk Movie, Captain America, The Fantastic 4 - both versions LOL)
I happen to like the current trend in pop culture today focusing on “ultra realism”… And it’s obvious that for this cycle a majority of the world is following suit.
During WWII, many movie goers and such headed off to the movies for “escapist cinema”. And it was during those eras that movie musicals, comedies and war movies that glorified heroics rather than the true atrocities of war, became popular.
During that era that is what the culture needed to deal with the hardships of coming out of the depression and going into WWII. Because “mass Media“ wasn’t so mass like today, the culture was still relatively sheltered from the true nature of the world they lived in. It was only after WWII, the clearing of the concentration camps and the footage seen in both Pearl Harbor and the rebuttal in Japan, did the world see on a major scale all the various atrocities that man had created, be it unnecessary or necessary.
In our current culture, world-wide, there is no place to hide from the hardships we face. Be it terrorism on our own soil, the middle east, Darfur etc. we cannot escape and we cant glorify the heroics naively enough because we know now what some heroes had to do in order to “save the day” and sometimes….It ain’t pretty but it is necessary.
The “Cultural Child” has grown up…That doesn’t mean they are anymore responsible, it just means “their eyes were opened to their sin”. I think in this day and age it rings true…
So, why the fascination with realism? Could it be nothing more than a morbid curiosity? Like watching a train wreck waiting to see the deceased? Or is it something more? Could there be a shift in sensitivity? I think there are many reasons.
One reason that I think could be the most grounded is that since we cannot run and we are now in a “global” society where “evil abounds” we have no choice but to face the music and find some way to cope with the information we are being presented with, head on.
It’s almost like using our “enemy” to our advantage.
By dealing with issues in a “real” way but using fictional vehicles, we almost create easily accessible parables that help us cope with universal issues. This is especially true in areas where we feel weak, fearful or out of control.
I think this show is a hit and so relevant because at the current state of social awareness, many of us world-wide feel so out of control and fearful of what lies ahead. That issue coupled with the fact that many of our world leaders, be them either republican, democrat, socialist, or other…have let us down.
So the way we have chosen to deal with these new found realities is to look inward at ourselves and see if we can identify with what’s going on and hopefully ask the question; “What would we do, or have we done in that situation?” It’s a little bit self therapy and self evaluation.
“If/ then questions”
If the above statements are true, then what kind of application is there available from a show like that that we can apply to our own lives? Walk with me down this path…
Quantum Leap
Could it be that what our society subconsciously desires to do in some small way is look within for the “physical hero” that might be present?
For the purpose of this writing I’m dealing with the “Everyday Hero” that might be lurking inside each and every one of us, waiting to come out. Very much like the concept the TV show represents but in an even more real and practical way.
In the show several of the characters discover that they have or are developing “giftings” or special abilities unique only unto them. And through the course of each episode each of these gifts present themselves at a point when most needed. Often this is a shock to the person utilizing the gift and an amazement to the person or persons who are in need of the gift the giver is using.
What is the “real world” application of this? It’s very simple but it requires a step of faith. To quote a cheesy but true line from the movie Spiderman; “With great power comes great responsibility”
See, if a person realizes that they are gifted in one way or another they are presented with a series of choices that can both reveal and determine a lot of things about their character and potential path in life. And once that awareness is made, no matter how small, it immediately thrusts that person from a place once of naiveté into a place of adulthood from whence they can never return no matter how hard they try.
And the choices can sometimes really confuse the person they are being put upon.
“Do I develop those gifts to help others?”
“If I do, will it actually help or be a waste of time?”
“Will it be easy or hard to do?”
“What are the costs involved, financial, spiritual, physical emotional etc.?”
“What are my benefits?”
“What happens if I don’t?”
As you can see, these are just a sample of the questions that might arise. And In all honesty, questions like this are not easily answered in one fell swoop. And again the sad thing is that once we are aware and made known of 1st, the gifting within us and 2nd the questions that will arise as a result of the awareness, we can’t “unlearn them”. The “monster” is out of the box so to speak.
So we are forced to stand at the foot of the “Cross Roads”.
To be continued…….