Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 4 November, 2015 8:08 am |

We all dreamed of being superhuman when we were young

 

As children, our imaginations were given the freedom to roam and wander. The ease with which we skipped between worlds and dimensions never received a second thought. So effortless, was it, as infants, to exist in multiple places at once, that reality earned very little attention in comparison to what was to come.

In our mature years, time and creativity are two luxuries that have experienced an incredible spike in value. The innocence that once governed our minds and allowed us to become grander versions of ourselves has been replaced with responsibility, education, work and family.

But what if we were able, for a short while, to once again experience such freedom and creativity but with our elder mind’s eye? What creature would we become, which powers would we desire?

It’s interesting to wonder sometimes if whether or not what was deemed super in our youth remains super today. Peering into the minds of our peers has allowed us to explore the superhuman powers most desired by adults in today’s society. Who influenced our desires? What heroes are still considered the most sought after? What would you choose?

Time travel?

Late in the 1980s, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis collaborated to create a Hollywood trilogy about a time travelling car. Our fascination with this simple idea – despite how much trouble it caused – resulted in the story reaching cult status. Doctor ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown and Marty McFly used the time travelling Delorien to right some family mishaps (mostly caused by using the scientifically decorated vehicle in the first place), prompting a series of hilarious and chaotic events across three generations.

Wonder if we had the ability to time travel today, would we use it for trivial events such as reliving a birthday party? Perhaps go forward in time to see if Donald Trump really ever made President in the United States.

Invisibility?

Rising just above time travel was the ability to appear invisible – possibly a trend sparked by the invisibility cloak from the world famous Harry Potter novels.  Though not truly a superpower, the cloak in question was made from Demiguise hair, a magical creature from the story. As time went on, the cloak would lose its effectiveness due to the hair becoming more and more opaque.

Invisibility was also used as deception by the ring bearer during the epic Lord of the Rings adventure turned to film in the early 2000s by visionary director Peter Jackson. Again, the uses in today’s age would likely be vastly different. Perhaps sneaking into your boss’s office and hearing first hand their opinion of your work rate. Though, it’s likely not going to be great if you’re genuinely invisible in the office. Maybe some of us wonder about dancing wildly in the street, throwing our hands up with the absence of self-awareness. What about eating as many cookies as we want without being judged or envied by those around us? If nobody could see you, who would you become?

Mind Reading?

In the 1960s, when Marvel’s golden run of comic book genius was in full bloom, X-Men arrived on bookshelves. The X-Men were founded by a master of telepathy, Professor Charles Xavier, or Professor X, who used his powers to identify mutants among citizens. The beauty of the X-Men was the fact they were unaware of their powers. They were subtle and naïve in their infancy as a group.

Telepathy in the modern day would likely be awkward for many. I, for one, wouldn’t want to know too much about what was being said or wondered about me behind closed doors.  What would be great is being able to surprise someone with the perfect birthday present, or say exactly the right thing at the right time when someone was feeling down or deflated.

The Ability to Fly?

There are no points for guessing who the most influential flying superhero of all time is… The Snowman, of course.  Alright, perhaps not the most influential, but the original film’s theme Walking in the Air was a household classic for millions of families in the early 1980s. The story of a snowman that comes to life on the stroke of midnight and bonds with his child creator, exploring the surroundings and eventually taking flight resonated throughout homes in the US and UK in particular long after its original TV debut.

Of course, many would argue Superman is the epitome of the classic superhero. Since the 1930s, Clarke Kent has been gracing our comic books, TVs and theaters, and even today his story is constantly adapted, rehashed, remade and re-critiqued…Many of us today would likely take advantage of flight to beat the traffic on King Abdallah Highway on a weekday. Better yet, perhaps we would fly home on the cheap to our respective countries and visit loved ones.

These were the most desired superpowers in the country, and it’s beautifully clear to see the magic and wonder of our infancy still remains subconsciously.  But despite not being able to time travel, fly, mind read or turn invisible, the wonder of these ideas still exists (unlike Superman’s home planet), and perhaps we’d benefit from letting our imagination wander again every now and then.

Have a wonderfilled moment this week.