What's The Point Of Waiting For A Hero?

A hero can save us...

No, they cannot. They never do. Heroes are too busy ironing their capes, shopping for hair products, and ensuring their gadgets are updated.

Saving the world? No, not right now. Not when new boots need to be bought.

Us civilians have to lead boring, stressful lives. Wake up, stuff some breakfast in, work, do chores, sleep, and do it all over again the next day.

The usual humdrum gets to us, but it doesn't elicit a response unless catastrophe hits. And then it's all about: I wish someone could save us.

So we look at the sky, expecting to see someone wearing a cape and heading towards us with urgency. Their arrival will mean the end of all your problems. 

But you've been waiting for an hour now, and your hero has not come.

So you sigh, dust off yourself, and realize that you need to be the one who has to sort out this calamity.

It's difficult, stressful, and even scary. You have to do things that you prefer not doing because it's uncomfortable. You're putting yourself out there. You're the one standing before the problem... the enemy.

Most times, you end up making things much worse. But there are those sparse moments that surprise you because they are about you winning and finally turn things around. People are listening to you. They appreciate your help. They laud your words. 

You find confidence that you didn't think existed within you.

As you walk away, you hear someone utter praise...for you.

Wait... did you just become a hero?

Turns out the hero has been you all this time. You don't own a cape. You don't have a costume. Latex irritates your skin, and you don't want to give up on treats just to fit in a bodysuit. Your hair needs a proper cut. The shoe has a hole in it.

Despite the lack of costume, you were the hero who saved the day.  There aren't crowds applauding you, though.

No one is putting up posters.

Your heroism doesn't award you with that privilege.

Nobody is singing songs about you. A few days later, everyone has already forgotten about what you've done.

But it doesn't matter. Now, when you encounter a problem, you've learned to no longer look at the sky but instead within yourself.

So...what is the point of revering superheroes when you have to save yourself all the time?

Nothing. Superheroes make for entertaining fictional stories. Movies about them generate millions and help the economy to a certain extent.

They are pure entertainment. And if they really existed, do you think they would have time to save you from crippling debt? From an irritating cold? From awful gossip? From being laid off? Or a plumbing problem?

Nope. Superheroes show up only when things have really gone bad, and they can come to fix it in front of a crowd.

Saving the world when no one is looking? Not their thing. Saving the world before things reach catastrophic levels? Haha, of course no.

But the one who actually works alone, with minimum resources, and doesn't expect to be revered? 

That's you. It has always been you.