Years ago, I was assigned an essay about what my superpower would be if I could have just one. I don’t recall if it was for a college scholarship or something, but interestingly enough, my answer remains the same as it did back in 2005. If I could have one superpower, it would be the power of flight.
There are places I wish I could go, but can’t get to because of the costs of transportation. If I could fly myself, I’d go many more places. I want to get out into the world and help people everywhere. Flying would make doing so and traveling to far off places a heck of a lot easier.
Every mode of manmade transportation has its flaws. Being able to fly under my own power would allow me to go wherever I want and whenever I want without the hassle of using roads or any other sort of public infrastructure. I wouldn’t have to pay for gas or fare, either.
Flying has always been a dream for me. The funny thing is I’ve never actually flown in my life. But, I’m pretty sure I know what it’s like. I can recall myself dreaming many times of jumping off a place of great heights, then feeling the air under me take me a great distance. I somehow every time either land relatively safely, or I wake up terrified of great heights.
That’s one problem with flying for me; I’m terrified by heights. But, I’d do my very best to overcome that fear if I really could fly. I think many people are terrified by flying. People are very attached to terra firma. But, sometimes, here on the ground, you can’t see the whole picture. One of the great things about flying is that you can see so far around you, giving you a very different perspective on everything. I want to see the world, and me being able to fly is the only way I’d ever see it all in a lifetime.
I’ve long dreamed of being able to fly around the world and help everyone that I can. I’m a very compassionate person at heart, and I want to help whoever I can. The ability to fly would make that job a lot easier and I’d be able to help a far greater number of people.
They say it’s a small world, but the Earth’s really quite a huge place. It’s impossible to say you’ve been everywhere around it. It isn’t humanly possible. Yes, commercial flights have really made our world virtually smaller. It’s so much easier to travel great distances. But, the airlines don’t always provide the destinations you really want to go from nearby where you’re at right now. If I could fly under my own power, I’d certainly go to the far corners of the earth where no scheduled flights touch down.
Sure, I’d probably have my share of rescuing cats from trees, and I’d probably wave to passing planes. I wouldn’t just use my power to have fun with it, though. Superpowers can’t be wasted. They must be used for the greater good. Though ordinary everyday people don’t seem to have superpowers as we’d like to think of them, each and every one of us has special and unique talents they can share with the world to try and make it a better place.
We’re each given special abilities, and they are meant to be used to help our fellow human beings and to make the best we can of this world. We can dream of superpowers. Super powers would certainly make things a lot easier, but you can’t trust everyone with super powers. Some people aren’t responsible enough to use them. It’s just the truth.
But, human beings aren’t weak to begin with, though. It’s all about using what you have the best you possibly can. We’ve always looked up to fictional heroes with all sorts of superpowers. But, people don’t need flashy superpowers to be heroes. Kind hearts and compassionate souls are the best heroes you can possibly have. Your family and your friends are heroes oftentimes are people you don’t even recognize as heroes. Everybody has someone they consider a hero, though they may not realize necessarily.
As nice as it would be, I don’t need any superpowers to do good. I’m very well aware of my talents and abilities that I can use to make a lot of good in the world. It certainly would, however, be a grand thing if I could fly. The thing is, I don’t know if I’d ever want to walk again. We can dream. And even though we don’t have super powers, and we’re all just human, we can all be superheroes in our communities, in our own little corner of the world if we put enough energy into it.
Still, it’d be awesome to literally swoop in and save the day, wouldn’t it? I think walking in and saving the day has pretty much the same effect, though. You don’t have to be flashy to do good. In fact, maybe that’s the best way to do good, quietly and discreetly as possible. I could swoop in from a distance, help out, and quietly take off again. Hey, it’s a great dream to have. There’s nothing like an imagination. Plus, when you help people often enough, you’ll feel like a hero. Whether or not you can actually fly, you’ll feel like you can!
~ Amelia Desertsong
