Say, You Want Super Powers?

I am sure we're all familiar with super hero or super villain stories. Be it Marvel or DC or a run of the mill Japanese Anime. So I feel not the need to list a few heroes here and there.

What this article will be about won't relate directly to super heroes, but more rather what puts the super in superhero, or super villain for that matter.

Super powers.

Ah yes, the ability to jump high, read minds, conduct fire, manipulate the environment, sixth senses, super human strength, the ability to fly...the list goes on. Everyone would want a super power.

Yet, what would be mine you ask?

Reality manipulation as in the ability to create things from my imagination. It could be anything and everything. Buildings, places, events...even people! Yet, I would not want to use my powers for evil. I would want to use them for good.

Even then I would run into the problem of people considering me a danger to the universe. Think about it, a guy who creates things using his mind is truly a dangerous person. After all, here is someone whom could warp reality to fit his needs without any respite. What a great responsibility indeed! How would anyone be able to thwart such a person?

As much as I loath this world of mundane concerns, I might have to take solace in a world without super powers. This is because of various factors. For one thing, laws would have be amended because of the various differentiating powers people have. Some people would use their powers for altruistic purposes and then you have those whom would use their powers for selfish reasons.

Altruistic. Now that is an action that varies from person to person. What one person's goals and desires may not be the same in regard to another. One person may want to instill fear and another may want to inspire hope.

In the end, it all depends on the laws and the people whom have powers. If anything, while I do want a world of super powers, its also a good idea to have limits in regard to the powers themselves.

Another thing that is not even tapped upon in any super hero setting is the military. Very rarely I've seen super hero stories which mention warfare. No, not something found in Avengers: Endgame, but warfare between two countries whom have super powered beings in their armed forces. Seriously, can anyone possibly imagine the amount of destruction that could result from super human soldiers!? I would not want to envision such a magnitude of destruction. Sure, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were horrible, but imagine the level of carnage when super powered people are fighting it out!

What about sports? Super powered individuals would have large repercussions on athletics. All of the professional sports organizations would have to rewrite the rules to allow super powers. Also, there are the Olympics to consider. One has to ponder about the new sports rules which may come to into play. Then, there is the possibility of new sports being invented to contend with the amount of super powered athletes and their prowess on the field. Just imagine for a moment the new sports which may come about as a result of this super powered world!

Oh, and the last thing I want to address would be those without powers. What would their role in society be? There is the possibility that those whom have no powers would seen in two ways. One, such powerless people would face heavy discrimination. Secondly, there would be those whom see them as the downtrodden in need of protection. There is also the possibility that those with super powers might enslave the powerless ones to be their subjects. Interestingly enough, the idea of the super powered enslaving the powerless masses is only found in super villain stories. Imagine if a so-called hero did that! Now that would be an interesting tale indeed!

In closing, while a world with super powers may seem all fantastic, people need to also consider the dangers. Sure it would be amazing to come across super powered people. However think about the dangers and the cons before considering the pros and the perks of having powers. While I personally believe this world would be far better with super powered abilities, I also believe there should be some limits on how far, or how much, a person utilizes their super human abilities.