Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted different superpowers. And at the time, it was mostly based on the superhero that I was fascinated with at that point in my life. Let us just say I went through an evolution of sorts, because going through my early days in my head, I have come a long way indeed.
I remember when I wanted to be Superman, as a kid I will take my mother’s wrapper and tie it around my neck, letting it billow behind me like a cape. Then I would run all around our compound, fighting bad guys that existed only in my head. Also, I would jump from the cushion to the table and then to the floor, making sure that the “cape” flapped behind me. And when I was done, I would stand with my hands on my waist and survey my work.
It always felt good.
Image by Humberto Portillo
But I did not stop there. Soon, I wanted to be Spiderman as well. I tried getting a spider to bite me so that I could become a superhero as well, shooting off webs from my wrists and swinging all over Lagos State where we lived at the time. In hindsight, that now seems like a bad idea. Thankfully, no spider bit me, I do not know if I would have become Spiderman for real, or I would have had to amputate the hand. I am glad I did not get to find out.
There were many more, like the Green Lantern, I would make paper rings and imagine I was the superhero. Ben 10, I would also make paper wristwatches and draw the aliens on the surface.
Superheroes of those days had a great impact on me, as I grew older, I still loved them and there were some that still held me sway even when I should have known better.
Sometime when I was in Junior Secondary school, this Indian Movie Krissh came out and took the world by storm. I do not really remember the storyline, but I was one of those that was really inspired by the titular character. Barely an hour after seeing the movie, I was already running and leaping over things. I did not care that most of the stunts in the movie were not real, all I knew was that they looked cool and so I needed to do them as well.
So, even when I was running errands for my Mom to go get some things, I would imagine I was Krissh and dashing over buildings and chasing helicopters. Thankfully, I was not the only one that caught this fever, a lot of boys my age were doing it as well.
Image by Vianney Cahen
Anyway, years passed and I moved on. Even forgot about Krish as I grew older and more mature. I still watched a lot of movies and their characters continued to inspire me. But I was now getting inspired in a mature kind of way. I am no longer thinking I can jump off a building and land on my feet.
I was in Senior Secondary School when I watched CW’s The Flash series for the first time, and I immediately fell in love with the character. Especially in the first and second seasons. Although I was not interested in his speed (I am no longer a kid, lol), I instead enjoyed his mind.
The way Barry Allen (The Flash) was able to solve cases and utilize his power without compromising his beliefs, made me understand just what a weight power could have on whoever it was bestowed upon. That first season made me look at physics in an entirely different light and I am still grateful for that. Anyway, I enjoyed the first three seasons immensely, but my interest started to wane from the fourth season. And now, I do not even know what season the show is on. I do not care anymore.
But I still love my Barry Allen character.
And so, to the question of the day, what superpower will I choose?
If you have seen Deadpool 2 which stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular character, there is a character there whose power I would very much like to possess. She goes by the name Domino and guess what her superpower is…
Luck!
Yes, her superpower is luck. Can you imagine it?
Think about having good luck in whatever it is you do, no matter how bad or dangerous that endeavor is. In the movie, Domino could get into an accident and instead of her getting hurt, every other thing in her surrounding will go out of their way to make sure she scales through untouched.
If I have a power like this, there will be nothing like risk for me or danger because whatever it is I do will definitely work out in my favor. I can buy crypto in the dip today, and the next minute the price will skyrocket, making me millions. I can go into an examination hall without being prepared and I will still be sure that I will pass with flying colors.
Things like hard work and stress will become a thing of the past for me because both people and things will be falling over themselves to make me happy even without realizing it.
I know you might think, “but what makes life interesting is the risk, not knowing if you will win or lose. Always knowing if you will win is kind of boring and lacks challenge.”
Well, I will just tell you I am a Nigerian adult living in the year 2022, and I have seen enough challenges to last me a lifetime. A power like that will come in handy so that all these things our government is doing will just wash off me like water on rock. Instead, whatever it is, no matter how ill-fated it is will work out for my good.
And this my power, will I use it for the betterment of the society at large?
Well, this is kind of a trick question because good luck happens only to me, and people around me can only partake in good luck in certain areas. Like if a car is about to get into an accident, as far as I am in the car, no one will get hurt. For now, I do not really know if there is any other way I can use it to affect the lives of others for good.
But of course, I will still do the little I can to help humanity.
So, that is my dream superpower. I do not want super strength, speed, or flight. I just want good luck; let anything I lay my hands on prosper no matter what forces are against me. Because once that is set, the rest is easy peasy.
Image by Xan Griffin
Thank you very much for reading, till we meet in the next post.
This post is inspired by the last topic for the week which is One Superpower. Feel free to try it out.
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