Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Super-Power Psych 101


I’ve been thinking about the perennial question that gets asked all the time: What super-power would you like to have? I’ve answered nearly the same way since I was first asked. I want to fly, but probably not the way most people would think. I would like to have wings. I want big feathered wings. I would also take the power of super-human agility. Like Spider-Man, but without the sticking to walls part.
           
            I’ve heard many different answers to this question, but I usually hear three more than any others: Flying, Telekinesis/Telepathy, and Invisibility. Flying is used more often than not, but I think it’s dwindling as it becomes easier and cheaper to fly anywhere. Telekinesis, if you don’t know, is the ability to move objects with your mind. Telepathy is the ability to read people’s thoughts. These are normally presented together because they are mind powers. Comic books group them together, so people tend to group them together.  These powers can say a lot about the individual that chooses one.

            Flying can be seen as active. To propel oneself through the sky is quite a feat. Whether you choose Superman-style flight or Angel-wings, both are very physical. Superman always looks like he’s straining when trying to fly faster. So, the individual is either a physical person or wishes to be. After thinking about this for a while, I realize that there is another reason for the flight answer. It could simply mean that you are a dreamer. You have your head in the clouds. Literally as well as figuratively. I think nearly everyone has had a dream in which they are flying.

            Telekinesis/Telepathy is a bit harder to explain, so I’ll split it up. Telekinesis, to me, seems like laziness. You’d like the world to revolve around you as compared to flying around the world. You sit on the couch and think a soda out of the fridge and into your hand. Then again, if you think of telekinesis like you saw it in the Star Wars movies, then you might think of it as a little more active. The Jedi and Sith use it to hurl objects at each other or throw people around. In the film Carrie she uses the power to kill people, but this almost seems involuntary; A moment of passion. It’s provoked and almost not very deliberate. She could plead insanity. Still, the thought of sitting in one spot and making the world move around you just seems self-centered and lazy. We all are capable of this. I’d love to sit inside on a blistering hot day and mow the lawn with my brain.  

            Telepathy, kind of, falls into the same category as invisibility for me. It’s an invasion of privacy. People love the idea of hearing something they weren’t supposed to hear, seeing something they weren’t supposed to see, knowing something they weren’t supposed to know. People love secrets. Telepathy allows you to get at these secrets. You can find out all those awful things someone has done against you. If you can turn invisible, you can go anywhere and see things that you shouldn’t see. It would be nice to slip into the boss’ office during a meeting and overhear conversations about who is getting fired. Of course, these powers also slip into depravity. With Telepathy, you can find out the secret desires of someone. You can find out all the dirty secrets someone keeps. With Invisibility you can go into the opposite sex’s locker room. Be behind closed doors when a couple is being intimate. I don’t think I need to give many examples here, they are already too numerous in your mind at this moment. We are all capable of wanting this. It’s based in desire and sexuality. Maybe you wouldn’t have thought of that right away, but it’s a possibility.

            All of these powers represent something inside of us all. The ones that rise to the surface show some of the more dominant traits we have. I’m a bit of a dreamer and wish I were more active. I know this about myself. I’m also a bit lazy and depraved. So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that I would want to be an invisible, mind-reading guy who likes to float around and make snacks float into my mouth. 

(p.s. On a side note, I hope to be more regular with my posts. I'm gonna shoot for twice a week. Just so you know how often to look forward to a new post.)

1 comment:

  1. I've always wanted to fly, but it was more like the ability to jump so far and high that it might as well be flying. Then I glide down, somehow willing myself to land in the right spot, unharmed.

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