A friend recently reminded me of this blog post I wrote back in 2007. Reflecting back, I was a little shocked to realize how much has changed in the world and in our lives since a mere 2 1/2 years ago. But whatever the circumstances, I strongly believe that our internal identities are just as relevant and important in today’s world. Here’s the entry, pull from the archives and dusted off:
How to be a superhero (and my commitment to you)
My hero of the day… is this five year old kid.
A five-year-old boy dressed in a Spider-Man suit became a real superhero in Brazil when he saved a baby girl from her burning home.
While playing in his back garden with a friend, Riquelme Maciel spotted smoke coming out of the wooden house’s windows and ran to tell the baby’s mother, Lucilene dos Santos. But Ms Santos was too afraid to enter the blaze, so it was down to young Maciel to step in and save the day – he rushed into the burning house and grabbed baby Andrieli from her cradle.
The Fire Department Chief Jose de Macedo praised the boy’s bravery, and much like his hero Spider-Man, Maciel became the talk of the town. His face made it to the cover of all the local newspapers and he no longer needs the red and blue costume to be recognised.
Maciel said he is now dreaming of becoming a fire-fighter so he can save more lives.
How did this kid end up doing such a brave thing, with no thought of his own safety? “Don’t cry, don’t scream,” he told the mother before dashing in, “Because I’m going to save Andrieli.” I wonder, if I were only five, would I have done the same thing? Would you have done it? Do five-year-old boys have a less developed sense of danger compared to most adults? But less developed or not, do not most children inherently know the dangers of fire?
Perhaps part of the reason why he was able to step in to save the day was because that’s who he is, that’s what he does. When children play–when they put on a pirate hat and sword, lay out the tea set, put on a stethoscope, pick up a toy gun–they immediately become a pirate, a lady, a nurse, a soldier. They enter another world, and their actions and words reflect their internal understanding of who they are. (Many of us adults have thankfully never lost that childlike imagination!) So when Riquelme dashed into that burning house, he was simply carrying out his identity: he’s Spider-Man, and Spider-Man saves people. Don’t cry, don’t scream, because I’m going to save Andrieli.
The rest of us are much the same way. No, we don’t go around wearing superhero costumes, and we don’t really think we’re Spider-Man, but we do live out our lives acting upon our internal identity. The dreams we end up chasing or putting aside, our attitude towards our boss, the way we treat the waiter and bellboy, our decisions to live life on the edge or to stay with what is “safe,” how we handle trials in our lives–we are really just acting out who we view ourselves to be.
I recently read an article that said pessimists are actually more objective and realistic. Chances are, the project really will fall through, that girl really is not that into you, good things in life really don’t last forever, traffic really is going to make you arrive late. On the flip side, optimists live under some degree of self-delusion. We optimists often think things will get better regardless of external evidence. Yet it is often the optimists who are the most successful in life. Why? Because they possess a certain internal reality, and they live their lives based on that. It is the law of attraction at work–we are, in a sense, able to bend reality around us according to what we believe to be true about ourselves and about the world.
I think many aren’t living a victorious life because they don’t see themselves as winners. Many have acquiesced to mediocrity punctuated by occasional moments of happiness because they have accepted that as the way life is–and who is to argue with that? Yet look at the story of this little boy dressed in a Spider-Man costume. As the fire chief said, the boy shouldn’t have done that because saving people from fires requires a trained crew and special equipment. Fair enough, but if Riquelme had waited around for the fire crew to arrive, the story would have ended with the death of a 1-year-old baby and a heartbroken mother. I’m not recommending 5-year-olds go dashing into fires, but the truth is this: We first have to be a hero on the inside–or a winner, or a leader, or a maker of friends, or a fillintheblank–before we can be a hero on the outside. So: what kind of person do you want to become? And is that who you are on the inside? What is stopping you?
In other news, here is my commitment to you: I have always wanted to fly, but I’m not going to become a superhero–I’m going to become one of the best. :D
The other day Hanson Fong–one of the best and last remaining Classical Photographers–asked me, “How old are you?” Twenty-five, I told him at that time. “Good,” he said. “Try to get old fast.” He didn’t explain much, but I knew what he meant. Since early last year I have been trying to absorb as much as I can, learn as much as I can. I can’t really explain it except to say that I feel like there is this strong-flowing river in me, rushing through me, pulling me to a destination I know I’m eventually going to get to, and so I’m trying to get there as soon as I can. The journey has only started, but it’s been the most incredible experience so far. A few years ago, I never thought that any of this would have been possible.
What I especially find encouraging is that every single one of the photographers I have studied under–all of them among the very best–are still taking workshops. They are still learning new things, still honing their craft, still seeking to become even better. I want to always be like that. I don’t want to ever be so satisfied with my work that I’ll say, “I have learned everything there is to learn. I can kick back now.”
This year I have spent over $6k in education. I’m going to continue doing that every year, putting aside a portion of my income for exploration and self-development programs. Why? Because I’m going to be one of the best. And I know that on the inside. :)
Who are you on the inside?
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NYC: September 13-17
Mexico (various cities): October 28 – November 2
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by Junshien
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