Zen College Life

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Through this journey we call life, we all are trying to improve ourselves, our situation, our spirituality, or financial status, and many other aspects of our lives.  We all want to be better at everything we do, right?  We have an idea of what we think greatness is, and we take steps to achieve this greatness.  When I say ‘be your very own superhero’ I mean live your life by the standard that you believe to be the best.  Do what you think is right, not just some of the time, but with every decision you make. 

As children we grew up watching, looking up to, and even idolizing heroes.  And while we may or may not have realized it, most of those superheroes were trying to teach us a few things.  They were teaching us values.  As we mimicked our heroes, we decided we wanted to be big and strong, smart and fast. We wanted to be able to lift a car, and we wanted to fly.  We wanted to get the girl.  We wanted to save the day.

Sometime, though, between the ages of 14 and 21 (35 for some guys), we stopped watching our heroes, and started watching reality tv (or something else equally unstimulating… like The Girls Next Door).   We started going out, dating, having a social life, getting a job, or doing whatever it is that took our time away from our heroes.  It seemed like a fair trade at the time.  Things were going great, we were having fun, life started moving, and all was well.  But for some of us, something was lost.  We may not have realized it at the time, but we lost something, then, small as it may have seemed. 

What was it we lost?

We lost our sense of what it was to be a hero, and why.  We lost that example of how to always do the right thing, how to lead by example, how to spend our time helping other people, in whatever way we could.  We lost our desire to be that superhero, our desire to be great.  It’s not that we decided not to be that person,  but our priorities shifted.  Our superhero drifted to the back of our minds.

I am here to tell you to get them back.  Go back to your superhero.  Watch them again.  Write down a list of the things about them that attract you to them.  What makes Superman so cool?  Why is Batman your hero?  What is it about Captain America that keeps you coming back?  Write down exactly what it is that makes them a hero.  Sure they can fly, have great gadgets, and many different superpowers.  But almost every one of them has been tested at times where they lost their gadgets or powers.  Were they any less a ‘hero’ without their powers?  I think not.  What was it, then, that made them a hero?  They had no extraordinary abilities that time, yet they still managed to save the day.

Those are the qualities that make a hero.  Not the superpowers. Not the gadgets.  It is these characteristics that when honed and skillfully mastered transcend man above that of mankind, into something greater.  These are the characteristics that make a man a hero.

Now take that list that I had you create, look at it long and hard, I mean really give yourself to the importance of this list.  This is who you could be, in your greatest moments.  Take each item on that list and imagine how you could be that characteristic.  How could you live your life by that belief?  In what ways could you incorporate those into your daily routines.  What flaws do you possess that through the practice of these skills you could overcome?  Is this possible?  Could you, yourself be a hero?  Well you tell me.

Here is your chance.  Make the list.  Analyze the list.  Incorporate these foundational beliefs into your life.  Share your list with everyone else.  (Some people are too lazy to make their own…)  I’m going to make my list, and as soon as it’s finished I’ll share.  I want to see yours too, so post it here in the comments and let’s discuss.

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