Superhero

Whoosh!

Instead of saving people, this superhero slaps them across the face. Then he flies off, leaving behind his favorite adage: “Man’s greatest ignorance is his assumption that others are more ignorant.”

“Wise words of Confucius!” he’d bellow from the sky.

Except, Confucius never said these words. Not even once. But quotes sure sound more righteous when attributed to a famous figure, don’t you think? So take your pick: Socrates, Churchill, or the fortune cookie that came with last night’s take-out.

Regardless, the superhero’s resolve remains the same. He wants to convey a message on something significant, like world peace and so on and so forth.

On most days, the superhero isn’t one to discuss world peace – the Miss Universe Pageant does enough of that for everyone – yet he’s become increasingly distraught over recent conflicts. Activists rebel against police lines formed for their safety. Rioters commit murder over a film preview. Fishing boats clash for the possession of uninhabited islands. And so on and so forth.

Seems like one big misunderstanding, don’t you think?

The superhero believes that the biggest misunderstanding comes from one’s self. It starts with becoming convinced that you know more than others. Therefore, you must convince others that they know less than you. But once every individual reaches the same conclusion, they all fight blindly to impose new perspectives.

“Place a few world leaders and university students in a round room, and they’re bound to bicker about where the corner exists.” There hasn’t been a famous figure to quote this yet, but the superhero will let you know when he finds one.

For now, he zips around the world, slapping those who fight blindly to impose new perspectives. If you’re lucky, it might just be a simple flick on the forehead – but with super-strength fingers, no less.

The act is meant to smack some sense into a person, so to speak. Maybe the stinging burn and the favorite adage will serve as a reminder to be more considerate of others. After all, no one knows everything but everyone knows something. Perhaps world peace can stem from joining ideas, like some grand jigsaw puzzle of thoughts.

Yes, one day, great minds will conspire to eradicate hunger and poverty. Communities will prosper together. Disease will cease to prevail. Wars will no longer be waged. And so on and so forth.

The superhero slaps people to keep them from fighting each other, and he fails to see the irony in this. But as the saying goes, “The show must go on.”

“Wise words of Confucius!” Of course.

Who do you think the superhero might be? I'll give you a hint: It's not me!

Footnote: Special thanks to a few friends who helped me set up this story.

Nobody's Happy

With the recent introduction of iPhone 5 and the release of iOS 6, many gadget geeks have criticized Apple's lack of innovation in its latest product. Has our perception of technology changed for the worse?

As Louis C.K. aptly noted, "Everything is amazing right now and nobody's happy."

What caption(s) would you add?

Backwards to Letters

Following eighth grade, my classes have always been held over three hundred miles away from home.

Sadly, this wasn’t because I received an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. No, those dreams of meeting Harry Potter Hermione Granger died long before my thirteenth birthday.

Instead, I was fortunate to have the opportunity of attending boarding school. From there, I went on to university – also some ways from home. Eight academic years without my family came with a few challenges. To begin with, I constantly craved my dad’s cooking. Then, there was the issue of laundry. Who would’ve known that duplicating keys for access to faculty washing machines could lead to cruel and unusual punishments?

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t change a single moment of these past eight years, save for the semester I registered for mathematical economics.

Other than that, I regret nothing because I was able to establish some truly rich friendships. We were all taking classes some three hundred miles away from home. Most were even farther, from Jamaica or Nepal. Together, we replicated faculty keysets and cried over difficult coursework.

But now that I’ve received my bachelors, my friends and I are somewhat scattered from one another. Some are in the process of completing new degrees while others have begun searching for jobs. We are no longer all in the same class, to say the least.

Of course, between tweets and emails, there are endless ways to stay in touch nowadays. The only problem is effort; as schedules and routines become busier, phone calls can turn into simple likes on a Facebook status. Perhaps, it is because we can so easily find each other that we often forget to do so. I suppose this is both a blessing and a curse of today’s technology.

So, I’ve decided to take a step backwards and write letters to a few close friends. Sure, the delivery may take longer, but at least I can share a few more stories with someone.

As for me, receiving a friend’s letter is always a happy experience. It’s the only thing I’m certain I want to read before reading any of it. You never know what to expect! Most recently, I tore open an envelope (Note: I was very excited, but I’m not nearly talented enough to describe unsealing envelopes with excitement) only to read, “…the sushi is actually a dollar cheaper than before.”

What the heck…?

Turns out I had started reading on the wrong side of the letter.

Still, not even an invitation to Hogwarts could have been better.

What's the most interesting/memorable letter you've ever received? Do you write to far-away friends - or do you prefer other ways of keeping in touch?