Hero* - Mariah Carey

Lucy: You give up your seat every day in the train.
Peter: Well... But that's not heroic.
Lucy: It is to the person who sits in it.
(Scene from While you were sleeping)

I always had this idea that superheroes must have special powers. Then, the other day I was watching a Top 40 Superheroes countdown (I love these kinda stuffs! KC, remember the Top 100 Horror Scenes? Don’t look out the window! Muahahaha!) and I was surprised that characters like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones were in the top 10. OK – Luke has the force, so perhaps we can consider that as a kind of superpower, but Indy?

I’m watching a series now entitled “Heroes” – basically where certain people with special powers try to make sense of it, and end up saving the world, eventually. One of these characters is Hiro (brilliantly played by Masi Oka who obtained a Golden Globe nomination for it), a Japanese geek who has the ability to bend time. With his fren, Ando, they travel together to the States – where their “destiny” lies.

In one scene, Ando was saying that since he has no special powers, he can not be a hero. To which Hiro retorted that one doesn’t need super powers to be a hero. One just needs to use whatever abilities they have for others.

That’s interesting. Coupled with the quote above from While you were sleeping, this gave me a new perspective of superheroes. Anyone can be a superhero. It’s just whether they are willing to or not.

As I thought about it, I realised that I’ve been surrounded by superheroes. In just these past couple of weeks, these people have been my superheroes:-

From all ages, and all over the world (Greece, England, China, Scotland(?), Malaysia), they were there, doing what they can – and even more – for me. These heroes lent me money from their first paycheck when mine was stolen, let me stay with them for free, cooked for me, got me a job, sang for me and made me smile, assured me that they’ll be there for me and I have nothing to worry about.

And there have been many more – like me mates who never fail to warm my heart and raise a smile whenever I think of them. And others whom i ask for forgiveness for not mentioning you by name - you know who you are!

Of course, the greatest hero is God himself who gave up everything and came in a form of man to die for us!

We all have some kind of abilities. It’s whether we wanna choose to be heroes or not. I’m gonna try… without the red underwear and thights!

Hiro: If I’m too scared to use my powers, then I don’t deserve them.
Heroes, Season 1, episode 8

*Lovely ballad from 1993 (again!). Imagine listening to this song in a dark cold winter nite, missing home!