No muscles and super-suits required

In these troubled times, many of us are looking for a savior. Some rely on political leaders. Some put all their hope on people that stand out in their family or community. For material aid, a lot of us passively wait to receive external help from organizations here or abroad involved in charity work, or depend on relatives and friends who work overseas. We often put someone else on the spot and label him as our hero. If that person succeeds, we all want a piece of his success and cling to that person with the hope that he pulls us out of the ditch and onto greener pastures. But what if that person fails? He often gets blamed, not just for his own failure, but for everybody else’s failures and misfortune.

When I’m in a tough situation, I often find myself doing this, too. I sit and wait anxiously for some buff superhero to swoop down and rescue me from my despair. At times when we encounter storms, we wallow in our misery, begging for the sun to come out and dry all our tears away. What we fail to see, however, is that we ourselves can actually be the sunshine. Instead of waiting for an avenger — a Captain America (or Captain Barbell) — why don’t we facilitate our own rescue?

Instead of being victims of our circumstances, why don’t we become the heroes of our battles and steer our own lives to victory? Instead of asking who will lead out nation to prosperity, why not be the president of our own destinies? Perhaps it’s about time we stopped pointing fingers and designated ourselves as our own redeemers. We may be responsible for our fellow men up to a certain extent, but we are and should be, first and foremost, in charge of our own well-being.

It’s not that admiring others is wrong. In fact, reverence for others, particularly for a person’s inner qualities, is important and should inspire us to evolve into better individuals. But idolatry that leads to the opposite direction — to indolence and to losing touch with oneself — is a problem.

At times, when we encounter storms, we wallow in our misery, begging for the sun to dry all our tears away. What we fail to see, however, is that we ourselves can actually be the sunshine.

It is, of course, a lot harder than it sounds. We cannot begin to rise above adversity unless we first recognize that a certain power lies within us all. This isn’t some type of material or physical power. It has nothing to do with blown-up muscles or technologically advanced super-suits. We’re all born with this faculty. It’s unmistakably present in young children. Some of us have it diminished or lost as we grow older and get caught up in the external trivialities of life. Our true or higher self is what gives us courage and propels us to rise above whatever hardship we’re challenged with. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can succeed or not — you’re right.” And we must believe that we can. One of the initial steps towards redemption is identifying that you’re capable of being redeemed. Others can aid us along the way, but this help is nothing if we don’t help ourselves. It has to start from within.

When I was a student, I used to see a very poor family — a father, a mother, and a child living in a kariton. I would always come across them whenever I passed P. Noval Street to buy my art materials. I always liked peeking inside their makeshift shelter as there was always something special going on inside. One time the mother was cooking a small quantity of food, and boy, did it smell good! Another time, she was happily telling a story to her child. And on another occasion, I saw the father affectionately combing his son’s hair and helping him into some well-starched clothes. I thought to myself, How can people who seemed so poor on the outside have such contented looks on their faces, as if they were living the same quality of life as you and I? They didn’t appear as if they needed any saving at all. In fact, they seemed to be so in control of the situation, like they were joyfully governing their own little kingdom of three, making the most of what life presented them with each day, and steering their kariton to a full and blissful life together — truly inspiring.

The next time we find ourselves in a rut, let’s tap into the inner hero within all of us. Remember this neither requires superb physical strength nor a phone-booth costume change. Let us instead harness our inner capacities, and emerge victorious over whatever adversity.

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 “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Are you one too? Let’s get in touch: katrinaanntan@yahoo.com / www.katrinaanntan.ph