Hero Worship
It sure is a thing. I recently saw Black Panther/Wakanda Forever and seeing how they dealt with the death of their hero, Chad Boseman, was beautiful, IMHO.
But what happens in real life when heroes die or change before our eyes? We all have heroes – we want to believe there is a good in the world that transcends everything and everyone – that someone can save us from all the evil in the world or, at the very least, save us from ourselves.
I have your traditional heroes such as RBG, and Michelle Obama, the standard fare of exceptional women, but I also have older siblings that have served exceptionally in this capacity.
Earlier this month, my oldest brother almost died. After a very public heart attack, he had open-heart surgery, followed by a massive stroke with a denouement of a small blood clot (because hero stories always follow this traditional arc), which made treatment difficult due to the stroke.
As much as it is obvious to be grateful that he is alive, and we are, watching him grasp for words is difficult. Watching his struggle with numbers is even harder because he is an MIT graduate. I can see and feel his frustration.
The story I am creating in my head is that he believes he will be less than in our eyes because his superpower is his intellect. But that has never really been the case for me. Understanding thermodynamics does not change my life.
It is his heart that rocks my world. His absolute love of the people around him who support him that elevates him in the pantheon of Marvel heroes. Yes, it is hard to see your heroes struggle because you feel vulnerable from the protection they provided you with these gifts.
But if you take a step back, you realize the most essential superpowers are the gifts of absolute love, warts and all, illness and all.
Superheroes are human too – they need our support to continue to be our heroes – that is the source of their power and the connection to ours.
Thank you for all the love and support over the last month. It has definitely helped! He is improving daily (because he IS an actual superhero) 😁.
With so much love,
Donna ⭐️
