Spiderman’s loving uncle has been quoted and paraphrased many times when addressing the responsibility of being accountable for your actions. The message is very clear: One must be bold and daring, just and strong, when granted the ability to effect and affect change. What good is it that we can fly, regenerate, or even see the future if we are not willing to use our super skills to make the world a better place? Supervillains may beg to differ as they exploit their power for their personal gain. However, isn’t personal gain sometimes beneficial to the greater good? Are their intentions evil just because they don’t match our own expectations of weilding power? Hmmm…
We are so focused as a society on what doesn’t work, on our weak side, that we forget to build upon those strengths we possess. Confident people don’t spend time improving their flaws because they learn to mask or work around them. Tony Stark didnt necessarily quit drinking to learn to be more humble to be effective. He applied his intellect and pursued technology that would assist his team to make the world safer. However, Captain America and others disagreed on the plan’s specifics and we ended up with Civil War. Both were pursuing their perceived best course of action, and they should have realized the ripples this disagreement would cause inside the Marvel Universe. Two people single handedly turned everyone’s lives upside down by not setting and agreeing to fair rules and expectations. Their views on responsibility and accountability differing because of their inherent personalities.
Intrinsic (internak) and extrinsic (external) motivation drive us to seek that which we desire the most. Batman, Iron Man, Green Lantern and even Superman, to name a few, decided to use their skills to fight crime and bring order to chaos out of experiences of personal loss. Dr Doom, Lex Luthor and Zod, to name a few, decided to do the same but through nefarious and Machiavellian means. Each man’s personality dictated how they wanted to proceed and how they weilded their abilities. They were all held accountable for their actions. Their willingness to accept and acknowledge the error of their ways is what distinguishes each character above an beyond sharing is a brilliant intellect or heat vision. It is their moral fiber that dictates what to feel responsible about and how to apply their supernatural aptitude.
Because morality will vary by individual, we will never please everyone when we decide to tak charge of a situation to make the best of it. The only solace is that we chose a course if action that yielded results, hopefully with the best intentions and for the necessary outcome. A problem may seem insurmountable even for someone of great skill and fortitude but in the end taking a leap and attempting to find a positive resolution to the situation is the only thing we can expect from ourselves. Whether our efforts pay off is inconsequential since it was only up to us to accept and complete the mission at hand. Dare to dream, to fail and to grow. Prepare yourself to be a wise and resilient leader. You never know when you will need to heed the call nor what set of super powers awaits to be awoken inside of you. 😉
Mrs. Enginerd - Nerd Whisperer 