Growing up, people teased me for my love of Superman. They said he was overpowered, too god-like, and therefore unrelatable. The disdain for Captain America was less, but still pronounced. At least he was patriotic, they said.
I loved these characters, and others, in comic books precisely because of the “reasons”. Their powers were an expression of their morality. Benevolent, protectors of those weaker than themselves, respectful of the strength others held, and humble. There is a reason Superman is called “the big, blue Boy Scout”, and it’s not because he’s boring but because he is moral.
They were heroes I didn’t have in my real world.
You see, also growing up, my family was abusive. We would victimize each other, but my father was the worst offender. My world needed heroes, and they didn’t exist for me; so my role models came from comic books.
I would not have been able to overcome my upbringing without Superman and Captain America. Moral heroes, real or not, give us a template for approaching our lives. They give us a perspective through which we can see our world morally.
When we see Trump, let’s try to be like heroes. These big, blue Boy Scouts need to be the influence; and if not them, someone or something like them. We become like what we focus on, so it’s important in this era to focus on good, right people. There are heroes. Look up to one today.
Aaron lives in Eau Claire, WI with his wife and two children, and a few friends who claim the family's game room as their own.
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