Superpower Craze

I really think that our society is obsessed with superheroes and superpowers. From the classic Superman, Batman and Spiderman, to the more modern version found in 'Heroes', we never fail to engage ourselves in the fantasy of possessing superpowers.

So I was watching a beauty pageant on TV, and one of the judges asked one of the contestants that, if she were to have one superpower, what would it be, and why. That's like given a permit to dwell in her fantasy. After all, who does not dream of having superpowers? In fact, the more the better.

Of course, one of the most desirable superpowers is time-travelling. This is pretty obvious, especially as propagated by Hollywood. From 'Back To The Future' to 'Heroes', time-travelling never fails to enthral people like you and I, who are trapped in the present time. How often have I sat and thought about what I can and want to change if I can only go back in time! I want to undo a relationship. I want to make the right decisions. I want to blot out a certain period of time on my life. Oh! There are just a hundred and one things I want to undo, if only I can turn back time.

Or do I? Maybe not.

After all, all that I have been through has become a part of who I am today. As unpleasant as they may be, they have made me who I am today. There is always a lesson to be learned even out of the most unpleasant experience. I would have been a totally different person today if not for all that I have been through in the past. So, maybe I don't want to travel back in time after all.

And the second most desirable superpower, is probably immortality. I know this for a fact because mere mortals of all times have asked for immortality in one way or another. Shi Huang Ti, as wise as he was, was stupid enough to send a troop in search of the medicine that gives him eternal youth. And of course, not to mention Claire's (the cheerleader in 'Heroes') power of regeneration. I mean, who does not want to live forever?

Or do we? I doubt it.

Yea, sure I want to see my children grow old and watch my grandchildren grow up. But there will come a time in life when we think that we have seen all there is to see, and then, death will become a welcoming end. Life and death are parts of the human experience. Death is just as essential an ending as life is the beginning. I am not sure if I really want to live forever, when everything around me is fading away. Because the thing that is scarier and more painful than death itself is losing the ones you love, and having to watch it take place before your very own eyes.

"So, if you were to have one superpower, what would it be, and why?"

If I were to have but one superpower, I want to have the ability to live my present to the fullest, seizing every moment of my life. Because the present is the most wonderful gift of God that I will never have again. That's why I will not squander even one second away. So that when the end comes, I am well-prepared, knowing that I have no regrets.