Alexander J Oberlender
It’s not an S, on my world it means HOPE
I’ve been very busy with work recently but, I am carving out a little bit of time before spring break (expect more over the next few weeks) to address something. I’ve always loved Superman. I could explain all the little reasons but, the title of this post really nails it. I see the symbol, and it’s a beacon for hope.
Hope is defined as “grounds for believing that something good may happen.” Superman has to remind himself all the time not to use his power for evil and, even when using it for good, he needs to hold back and not over use it. Albeit not absolute, he has a fairly consistent code of not killing. This is interesting to me when we think about the world we live in. America is the most powerful country in the world, so how should we conduct ourselves? Should we wield our power absolutely and expect that everyone do what we say? Or should we try finding more diplomatic solutions to our problems? For example, the Cuban embargo that has been in force since the 60s hasn’t accomplished what we wanted. On the flip side, getting hands on and arming the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan against the Russians in the 80s backfired on us. There is no right way. There is no wrong way. What is crazy to me is that we fight about things like abortion, LGBT rights, and whether or not racism is still a thing (it is), but we should be focusing on working together to try and bring peace to our world, feed the hungry, and teach the illiterate. These are the things we should focus on! When I say “work together” I don’t mean yell that my way is right or your way is right but, instead, sit together and find OUR way to solve the problems. These are the real issues of the world. It is poverty, illiteracy and hate in the form of racism that leads to our bigger issues like global terrorism. So, next time you see a post from somebody that has a differing view from you, take a second and, instead of fighting, think about starting a discussion. Don’t push your own agenda, either. Try discussing new ways to solve these problems. The only way we can really do this is if we have HOPE.
