What I have learned

The superhero that I knew very little about but came to know better was Captain America. When I thought of Captain America in the past he was a hero to me and a patriot. After taking this class, I have come to understanding that he did not ways mirror American ideas and in fact had more similarities with the Nazi’s idea man. I have also come to understand that he has also changed. Captain America now questions the status quo and is not always on the government side especially when he views them as wrong.  

                I have learned that superhero have had a bigger impact on my life then I previously thought. One particular hero that has impacted me a lot was Superman. I always looked up to him and admired his physique because I admired his physique I did my best to tried to look like him when I was younger. I would pop my chest out with confidence just like him and when I got older I started to take supplements that would aid me in my transformation to be like him.  

                I wish we would have spent more time on the hero teams such as the Avengers. I would not like to talk about the old school Avengers but to focus in the new ones that are being created in movies. I would have also like to spend more time studying the new and old DC and Marvel worlds and how they have changed over the years.

                Next year I will be going into my senior year and will be taking a Citizenship course. This Heroes classes has help me to become a better citizen by helping me to understand different groups of people whether they be black, white, gay, straight, disable, “normal” or even alien. The hero that would be the best role model for good citizen would have to be Green Lantern. He is the best candidate because he is the defender of all and is capable of admitting when he is wrong such as on race issues.     

Thom and Life

There are two reasons why Thom’s coach tell him he cannot be on the team. The coach is reason for no longer letting Thom play on the team is because Thom suffers from seizures and this causes the school’s insurance to increase. Thom believes  the reason he was being dismissed from the team was because his sexual orientation made his coach feel uncomfortable. If I were Thom in this situation I would have cursed out my coach and called him out on dismissing me for my sexual orientation.  My family’s reaction to this would have been supportive because I belong to a very liberal minded family. Also, they would have made a visit to my coach’s offices and curse him out.

            Ruth tells Thom that he must live his life now. What she means by this was for Thom not wait for things to just magically appear and for his life to all of a sudden become great. Just like Thom, I have waited in the past for things just to turn up and be great. I have  learned in recent history that life just does not work like that. In order to be happy and live the life you want you have to work at it. The ways in which I work at being happy and securing a future of happiness  is by going out, meeting new people and doing my work. In my future I see myself having a good amount of money and a wife by my side. If I don’t go out and meet new people how will I ever meet my wife or make connections with people that will allow me to find a great job?

            “Everyone in the world should have at least one moment in their lifetime when an entire crowd of people cheers them on for something, one moment to feel exceptional, one moment that lets you know you really do mean something to the universe.” I am unsure if this quote applies to everyone and if it does to what extent. For myself I have received this type of attention before for speeches, awards and graduating from High School.  I can honestly say, I gain nothing from this type of attention because in my mind there’s always something else that has to be done. In other words, I have a hard time pausing and taking in that moment when I feel exceptional.

            Thom has his first kiss “under difficult emotional circumstances.” In my mind a perfect first kiss would be one that done with confidence. Does a first kiss ever turn out that way? No! Thom has a crush on a famous figure. I have been asked time and time again which famous figure/celebrity do I have a crush on. The answer to this is that I have not a single celebrity I have a crush on. People have crushes on celebrities for one single reason. This reason is because celebrities represent power in our society. Since I don’t believe one person it more powerful than the next I cannot relate to this view. I base my crushes on emotional intelligence and physical beauty.

Django Unchained (spoiler alert!!)

                So recently, I re-watched a movie called Django Unchained because I really enjoyed it the first time. After watching this movie again I realized that Django was actually a superhero in many ways. The movie Django Unchained was about a slave that was freed after a bounty hunter freed him from his new owners. After being freed his new owner (the bounty hunter) offered him a chance to make some money and get his freedom. Django accepted this offer and learned a new trade in bounty hunting. While he learned these new skills he became an expert at using any western gun.

                Django unlike many superheroes does not have any superpowers. The powers that he does have  are similar to Batman. He an expert at using any western guns and was capable of shooting at multiple moving targets at lightning speeds. Another ability that Django possessed was that he simply couldn’t  be harmed by bullets. There a scene in the movie were Django goes against basically a whole army of gun sling slave owners. Never once does he get shot but he kills at least  40 men (I might be underestimating)  or more.  Django last ability was in his confidence and rhetorical. He was able to convinced the slave owners that  he was one of them and by gaining their trust he was able to saved his wife at the end of  the movie. 

Reflection #9: Regular Joe Hero

                If I was a regular Joe type of Superhero, like the ones in the Superheroes documentary ,I would be one that help my city by feeding the homeless or helping those who just need a helping hand. I would not be the type that fights crime in my city because I believe that would just be suicide and I personally want to live. My hero self would most identity with Life because just like Life I want to help the community but I am not looking to fight crime and risk my own life.

Life inspires people  to help each other out and to actually care about one another. Since my  superheroes self is similar to Life the type of equipment I would hold would beneficial to others. This equipment includes: first aid, food, water, covers, any basic things that are need to survive  and a van to hold all this stuff. My costume would be constructed out of regular things. I would wear jeans that have many pockets so that I can carry medical items, a book bag so that I can carry some of the food and water from my van and a regular t-shirt that has a plus sign. The plus sign would stands for the universal hospital sign and that I am here to administer aid . I would not wear a mask simply because I  would not fear for my life and anywhere I would go I would like people to recognize me. By allowing people to recognize me I let them know that I am always my superhero self.  

Morals and Mutation

                I have never experienced a time when my core belief was challenged or questioned.  If one of my core belief were to ever be challenged it would be my belief in never stealing. The only way I could ever see myself stealing would be to helped my family. If my mother or anyone that was very close to me became very ill and there was absolutely no way I could help them finically I could see my stealing. I would not steal from a bank like a normal bank robber or steal from those around me. I would lie about assets I had to the bank and do my best to get loans I know I could never pay off, which is essentially in my mind stealing.    

                I am ask to write about two different experiences as a mutant. One experience is of the mutant that has power but can passes as a regular human. The other is of one that cannot pass because of external quality that makes him stand out.  As a mutant that can pass I can see myself walking through life normally. I would have no real concerns accept for the concealment of my powers. As a mutant with quality that don’t allow me to pass, like the aesthetic look of Nightcrawler, I could see myself hiding  and rarely going out unless at night.  What both these experiences might share in common is that they are both hiding their powers  but one group has to work harder at it.

                X-men comics, TV shows, and films could help groups and individuals understand themselves by informing them that it’s okay to be different and that there are groups in society that can help them live a more fulfilling life. The mutant group which I mostly identify with is the one that passes and no I would not want the cured . The reason I say this is because most of my life I have pass as white when in actually I am mix with Taino, Black and Hispanic blood.  Since I can pass I get treated differently by whites and other races. I am trusted more, allowed more freedoms, and can live a pretty much stress free life. Most of my friends that have similar mixes of races but cannot pass don’t share similar experiences to my own. Those friends that can’t pass are harassed by cops and often not trusted.   

Silent Meditation and Friendship

We were told this week to try two different types of meditation, both of  which I would  consider doing again. The first type of meditation I decided to tried out was Silent Meditation.  After each and every session of Silent Meditation I would experienced a sense of calmness. This calmness allowed me to feel stress free for the majority of the day.     

After trying Silent Meditation I went on to try Superhero Brain Meditation for three days. The results of this type of meditation actually made me a little more confident. By imagining the superhero I both admired and wanted to be, I was able to show more confidence when I was approached with a new task. One of the tasks I was given was to clean all the windows in my house because my mom was going to host a party and she wanted all the windows cleaned. As I was cleaning these windows I realized that lines were being left on them. This made me mad, but then I decided to take a few quick breaths and went back to my meditation to think about what would Tony Stark do. Now without a doubt Tony would never worry about cleaning windows, and surely if he needed clean windows he would just hire someone; but what if he did not have someone  to clean these windows and had no idea how to prevent these lines. I came to the conclusion that he would do some research and go on the internet. Once I started doing research, I discovered that one could used coffee filters to wipe the windows and prevent lines from forming. My mom was so pleased with the results that she made me clean the windows up stairs and even the mirrors (how lucky was I).

Though out my life, I have had many friends and many who even achieved the level of best friend, but now looking back and looking at my present self I am highly uncertain I have ever had a friendship that would be characterized as a perfect friendship. All my friendships have either been one of utility and/or pleasure.  I cannot say that any of my current friendships can ever ascend to the level of a perfect friendship. The reasons for this is because either they are of another class then myself and are always taking care of me or that we don’t share the same values as one another. It is still my hope that one day I do meet someone who we both can reach the level of perfect friendship together.  

Reflection #6

            I will be the first to say it, I don’t think I am the most creative person out there. I am not a writer, a poet, or a really good artist. My creative ideas don’t flow out of my mind by the minute but the time that they do is when a situation or a problem are put forth on me.  As a child I was very introverted so I rarely voiced my opinion or spoke to others, but the benefit of this introverted-ness was that I had a lot of time to think and imagine. While others at age nine were playing games and being social, I thought about the meaning of life. This deeper thought  process helped me to understand the world around me and see patterns in people without even talking to them. By understanding people and their patterns I was able to see connections and by observing these connections I was able to help others. I cannot think of a particular example of when this happened but my family would describe me as a very helpful and creative individual.

In my adult life, I have been great at problem solving in all my classes, but recently not in a class I found myself working at my fullest. The time when I found myself working at my fullest was during my preparation for Moot Court. After reading each case I found myself debating why each case was wrong and what were the good points about them. I tried to use only the good points in my argument but with the bad ones I learned to argue around them. This took a lot of creativity and forced me to think outside of the box.

One superhero that is very creative is Tony Stark. Tony is captured by a terrorist group in the first Ironman movie. After he is captured he lies to the leader and told him he will build a weapon for him. Instead he builds his first Ironman suit and decimates the terrorist group. If that is not thinking on your feet then I don’t know what is!   

The Best

                So I have been assigned the assignment to tell someone I normally would not  tell how much they mean to me. I choose to tell someone who I felt always been there for me. She seen me at my worst and best. During my grandmother death she was the only one to constantly check on me and chances are she was the only reason I choose to stay at Monmouth College when I could have left. She my beacon of light in my most difficult moments  and embody all the traits that after almost three years still stun me. Just the other day, I was having lunch with her and as we were preparing to eat she started switching out every chair at our table for the comfortable one with cushions on them. I then asked her why she was doing this. She told me that she was switching them out for our other three friends. Little things like that are why I like her so much so the least I could do was tell her how much she means to me.

                Now telling someone how much they mean to me is hard enough but doing this sober was going to be a challenge. I wanted to tell her this without having a drink because it was the true and I wanted her to know and believe me. I decided that I would tell her as soon as possible but as time went on I realize I was dragging so after two days off postponing it I finally got some time alone with her at the library. The words came slowly to me but after five minutes of mustering out these words it came to the effect of “You’re one of my best friends and I care and love you but I think you know this already.” After I said that she gave a small smile, sniff cause she was sick, and said “I know.”  Since I told her, I have felt that not much as change in our friendship but it feel good knowing that she know how I feel. 

A Story and Nostalgia

               I am sitting in a bar when I noticed a man with a crazy almost rogue like hair style entering the bar. He sits next to me. I take a long look at him and think to myself this man has been through hell. He then caught me looking at him and said “bub what you looking at.” I looked away immediately because I felt as if this was no ordinary man. I ponder for a few moments but then as soon as I realized who this man was another man appeared and yelled “Wolverine!! I been looking for you brother.” As soon as those words where uttered knives and sharp claws appeared  from within the two men. The two men started to fight. I saw the anger in both their eyes and knew that if I did not get out of there I would be next, but I also knew now that this was Wolverine and that he was a good man.

                As the fight went on ward,  I watch as the men sliced and slash at each other and begin to noticed that maybe Wolverine would not win this fight. In that very moment, I decided to head to my car but not to flee from the fight but to get a crow bar. Just as I was retrieving the crow bar from my car the men busted throw the bar. I noticed the other man was on top of Wolverine and was about to deliver a killing blow. I then rush over to the two men and with all my might try to crush the skull of the other man with the crow bar. This man was now incapacitated and Wolverine  got up. As Wolverine started to walk away  he look at me and threw me a new cigar and said “thanks bub.”  He then took off on his Harley.

                Its very rare that I experience nostalgia at my current age but I can remember when I was younger that I use to experience it. I actually first experience nostalgia when I was about 12 or 13 years old. I remember looking at a photo album of me when I was eight going to six flags with my cousins . I remember feeling sad that I could not relive that moment especially because during that time my cousins were leaving and moving further always. To counter this feeling of nostalgia I begin to make new friends and to call my cousin more often. 

The Law of Power

            After reading The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes chapter on the Law of Power, I have gain a better understanding of what make an individual powerful. According to this chapter, it is not the external powers such as heat vision, super strength, or ability to manipulate objects that makes a superhero powerful. Instead, it is the internal strengths that give them their true powers. Such internal strength includes their ability to deal with physical and emotional issues in a way that does not deteriorate their own being.

One superhero that I feel does a great job of not letting emotional or physical issue weight him down is Tony Stark or Ironman. Now I know Ironman has his issues especially with drink a lot when he feels depress or something he gets angry and maybe destroy everything in his lab, but what he does in those fits of rage are made up and suppressed afterwards in his moments of genius. Ironman somehow has the a way of harvesting his emotions and turning them into weapons or inventions that would make even Thor and his advance civilization envious.

In a way, Ironman reminds me of myself.  Just like him I have my emotional ups and downs and during those points I don’t physically destroy my room or drink myself into the night, but something similar happens to me. I start to reflex and figure out why I am in this mood. I pose questions to myself and not just any questions but the difficult one I would ignore or forget about at my best. As I do this I am not physically destroy something like Ironman would, but I am making a mess with in my own mind. Once I am finished making this mess, just like Ironman, I hit a moment of genius ( or turning point) and am able to correct what I view as wrong with in me and change my own mind and self into a better version of myself.        

Morality and Identity

Like most people, I rarely if ever have to make a moral decision that could greatly impact society, but superheroes, as we discussed in class, have to deal with these decisions every day.  Unlike superheroes, my morality is only tested in very small isolated situation that have little or no repercussions. Just recently my morality was tested before I came back to school. My cousin and some of his friends were visiting Chicago and decided that they wanted to go out. With little thought, I agree that we should go out. Towards the end of the night they started to get a little overzealous and one of them got the bright idea of taking the antennas off some random cars and invited me to join them. As soon as he asked me I said no and tried to convince him to stop. The reason I told him to stop was not because I felt that I would be harmed by his actions, but because I believe in the proverb “treat others how you would like to be treated.”

Superheroes for one reason or another think that it is very important have a secret identity. To them the secret identity gives them away to escape the hard life of a superhero. It offers them a normal life and at the same time protects their friends and love ones from villains who might wish to do them harm. In my own life I have many different identities. Such identities include family’s Carlos, outgoing Carlos, and school’s Carlos. Each one of these identities has their own pros and cons and only appears in certain time of the day or locations. An example would be of family’s Carlos, he only comes out when he is around his family. He is a protector, helpful, and also respectful to his older relatives. On flip side outgoing Carlos, he is a party animal, does not know the word “no,” a flirt, and is capable of making any night a great night. Balancing these two identities and the others can sometimes be difficult, but I can manage it. The way I manage it is by evaluating where I am at and who I am with. The people I am around greatly affect which identity comes out.

Favorite Superhero

Favorite Superhero

As a child, I had many superheroes that caught my attention, but only one has me still devotedly following him no matter what. This hero is said to move faster than a speeding bullet, have unlimited strength, and able to fly fast enough to reverse the hands of time. He is Superman!  

            Superman was an still is the vision of who I would like to be. His moral ability to always do right is admirable. His power to left up any object no matter the size or weight is incredible and his ability to fly anywhere whenever he wants  shows a level of freedom that few of us can ever enjoy. His strong moral code, strength, and his freedom to fly anywhere is why he still holds my attention.

            When I was younger, I use to tie a bed sheet around my neck, extend my hands how Superman would, and run around my house pretending I was the "man of steel." As I pretended I was Superman, I made my mom and uncles the villains and sometimes I would win and other times this Superman was returned to his fortress of solitude where he was forced to stay there for 30 minutes (30 minutes of time out= this Superman kryptonite).  Into my teen years, I used to watch Smallville and never missed an episode. Always Thursday night, at around 8:00pm, you would catch me in front of the TV watching this show.  During an episode’s commercials, I would often wonder and daydream what it would be like to be Superman.

            As an adult I rarely used anything that Superman has ever thought me.  I can’t seem to fly or lift anything with unbelievable strength, but what I can do is far more valuable. I am able to judge something as being right or wrong and I don’t have any particular person, school or church to thank for my strong moral code accept maybe Superman.