Tonight I was reading my favorite graphic novel, Kingdom Come. It is a Superman based story. Yes I am a geek or dork or whatever you may call me. But it is a good story and deep, especially for a comic book story. I began by reading the Forward, I suppose you might call it, by Elliot S. Maggin the author of Kingdom Come the novel based on this graphic novel, and though I have read it before I still read it and am inspired by it. He talks about the story tellers of old and how they would come up with stories of heroes and how even we, today, come up with stories of heroes and how those stories are mere representations of what we wish we were and how we think things ought to be. He says that to write stories like this one you have to believe in the characters in the story. Yes. He says he believes in Superman, Wonder Woman and even Santa Clause and then quickly explains that he does not believe in the person or character themselves but that there are people out there that have the same character traits of those heroes.
As I begin the story I read of a Character who was once himself a superhero, the sand man, and how he has lost faith in the heroes, people and world that had come about. Further into the story you find that even Superman had become disenchanted with the world at hand and exiled himself to his fortress of solitude. The two of them saw a world that had given their safety, thoughts, and lives to others to be run and decided by the new generation of heroes who where not even shadows of the heroes of old such as Superman and Wonder Woman. They had sold their souls to those who would rule over them.
The story continues to the end where the heroes of old were needed but not to rule but to help and assist humans in their endeavors but that it was up to man kind to choose the direction of their lives and this world. Heroes are needed, not to do the work or to dictate the path of the world but to inspire others to do right and to excel.
As I read this story I realize that our world is very much in the same predicament. The heroes of today are not ones with good moral character, deeds done with love and honor not for themselves or glory but because it was right. Good deeds, and sacrifice for others, for the good of another human being are not the attributes of the heroes today. There are people who do meet the standard of the heroes we used to look up to but no one knows them because they are overshadowed by the lights and glitter of the heroes we have created and put on stage because of their beauty or because of their rebellion to that which is and was once believed to be good.
The people who are idolized today are movie stars, pop singers and athletes who can dunk, run, kick, cheat, steal, and other immoral actions. Today what is good is scoffed at and evil is thought to be good or cool. We put such people on a pedal stool, shove them in the lime light and ask them to make our decisions for us. What to wear, drink, say, think, believe and how our lives should go.
Kids, teens, and young adults today watch MTV, VH1, Sex in the City, Pokémon, Anime, and many others and decide that the immorality pouring from the TV screen is something to aspire to. Whatever happened to kids looking up to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Amelia Earhart Neil Armstrong, Deborah, Joshua, Jesus Christ, Billy Ghram, Shane, your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother. You don't see that very often anymore. No they weren't perfect (well Jesus was) but they are usually someone to look up to.
We as a society have begun to give our lives, souls, this very world to people who don't even have their lives together much less the ability to dictate the future of the human race. We are handed everything. We are so lazy that we ask MTV or CNN to make our decisions for us. We can't even think on our own. No wonder we elect a socialistic president. The American people have come to the point where they don't care and don't want to decide on their own so they will let the government run their lives for them. They don't want to work for success or for their own keep, they just want to be given everything.
What happened to the heroes of yesteryear? I'll tell you. They are still around and they still save the day but they are forgotten and overshadowed by the glitter and spotlights. We all know inn our hearts what is right and how things ought to be but those things are not popular so we ignore our hearts and our very being taking the easy path, the one that will eventually destroy us. It is so bad that those who do and would do right, who would stand up for TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY, for peace, for honor, for life, kindness, morals, who would stand up for the little guy who is bullied, those who leave home to serve the country they love, those would give all they have to make this world a better place even if it by a simple smile, 5 minutes of listening to a stranger, stopping a bully or an abusive husband or boyfriend from hurting his girl, or telling a friend to put the drink down or to give up their keys who would stand up against the majority not to prove a point but because it is right, that those people who believe and stand up for such things are beginning to lose hope and grow weary. Heroes still exist but they are growing fewer in number and those that still stand alone and in the dark.
I hope and pray for the day that the heroes stand up and with one voice say that this is not right and begin a good work to help people and rebuild this country of ours regardless of the consequences. Such a time is needed and would almost certainly destroy those heroes but in the end hopefully a new generation would be inspired to continue in their footsteps and be heroes themselves and continue the good that was started by the few heroes left today. Perhaps we could save our fellow man if we just chose to do the right, to stand and to make a difference. We need real heroes.
As I begin the story I read of a Character who was once himself a superhero, the sand man, and how he has lost faith in the heroes, people and world that had come about. Further into the story you find that even Superman had become disenchanted with the world at hand and exiled himself to his fortress of solitude. The two of them saw a world that had given their safety, thoughts, and lives to others to be run and decided by the new generation of heroes who where not even shadows of the heroes of old such as Superman and Wonder Woman. They had sold their souls to those who would rule over them.
The story continues to the end where the heroes of old were needed but not to rule but to help and assist humans in their endeavors but that it was up to man kind to choose the direction of their lives and this world. Heroes are needed, not to do the work or to dictate the path of the world but to inspire others to do right and to excel.
As I read this story I realize that our world is very much in the same predicament. The heroes of today are not ones with good moral character, deeds done with love and honor not for themselves or glory but because it was right. Good deeds, and sacrifice for others, for the good of another human being are not the attributes of the heroes today. There are people who do meet the standard of the heroes we used to look up to but no one knows them because they are overshadowed by the lights and glitter of the heroes we have created and put on stage because of their beauty or because of their rebellion to that which is and was once believed to be good.
The people who are idolized today are movie stars, pop singers and athletes who can dunk, run, kick, cheat, steal, and other immoral actions. Today what is good is scoffed at and evil is thought to be good or cool. We put such people on a pedal stool, shove them in the lime light and ask them to make our decisions for us. What to wear, drink, say, think, believe and how our lives should go.
Kids, teens, and young adults today watch MTV, VH1, Sex in the City, Pokémon, Anime, and many others and decide that the immorality pouring from the TV screen is something to aspire to. Whatever happened to kids looking up to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Amelia Earhart Neil Armstrong, Deborah, Joshua, Jesus Christ, Billy Ghram, Shane, your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother. You don't see that very often anymore. No they weren't perfect (well Jesus was) but they are usually someone to look up to.
We as a society have begun to give our lives, souls, this very world to people who don't even have their lives together much less the ability to dictate the future of the human race. We are handed everything. We are so lazy that we ask MTV or CNN to make our decisions for us. We can't even think on our own. No wonder we elect a socialistic president. The American people have come to the point where they don't care and don't want to decide on their own so they will let the government run their lives for them. They don't want to work for success or for their own keep, they just want to be given everything.
What happened to the heroes of yesteryear? I'll tell you. They are still around and they still save the day but they are forgotten and overshadowed by the glitter and spotlights. We all know inn our hearts what is right and how things ought to be but those things are not popular so we ignore our hearts and our very being taking the easy path, the one that will eventually destroy us. It is so bad that those who do and would do right, who would stand up for TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY, for peace, for honor, for life, kindness, morals, who would stand up for the little guy who is bullied, those who leave home to serve the country they love, those would give all they have to make this world a better place even if it by a simple smile, 5 minutes of listening to a stranger, stopping a bully or an abusive husband or boyfriend from hurting his girl, or telling a friend to put the drink down or to give up their keys who would stand up against the majority not to prove a point but because it is right, that those people who believe and stand up for such things are beginning to lose hope and grow weary. Heroes still exist but they are growing fewer in number and those that still stand alone and in the dark.
I hope and pray for the day that the heroes stand up and with one voice say that this is not right and begin a good work to help people and rebuild this country of ours regardless of the consequences. Such a time is needed and would almost certainly destroy those heroes but in the end hopefully a new generation would be inspired to continue in their footsteps and be heroes themselves and continue the good that was started by the few heroes left today. Perhaps we could save our fellow man if we just chose to do the right, to stand and to make a difference. We need real heroes.
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