Wisdom From the Web-Slinger
Ok, I get it, a superhero movie is not the first place you go looking for life advice. But, hear me out, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse provides some great lessons on your environment, persistence, and a mastermind alliance (shout-out Napoleon Hill).
Note: The following contains some spoilers from the film*
Let’s begin our journey with Mile Morales. In his universe, he is a teenager juggling school and family responsibilities, all while being “your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man” (pretty casual, right?).
Outside of the normal friction and headbutting that every teenager has with their parents, you can tell that Miles comes from a loving home and has a supportive upbringing.
“Wherever you go from here, you have to promise to take care of that little boy for me. Make sure he never forgets where he came from. And never doubts that he’s loved. And never lets anyone tell him that he doesn’t belong there.” — Mile’s Mom
Late in the movie, Miles returns to what he thinks is his world but is really Earth-42, a world without a Spider-Man. In this crime-ridden reality, he comes face-to-face with the Miles Morales of that world, who just happens to be The Prowler, the villain Miles defeated in his own world in Into the Spider-Verse.
And thus, we arrive at Lesson 1: Your environment holds the power to shape you into a hero or a villain.
Now, as simplistic as this is, there is a power of association. Yes, not everyone is fortunate enough to grow up in a supportive household in the suburbs, with a roof over their head and warm food on the table.
But, the fact of the matter is, you CAN control WHO you associate with.
The saying goes “birds of a feather flock together”, but I think Tim Ferris puts it more poignantly.
“…You are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.” — Tim Ferriss
Who can you spend more time with that is where you want to be or is on the path to where you want to be in life? Who can you disassociate yourself from that is dragging you down? These questions don’t always have easy answers but are sure to make a difference in your life.
As you begin to find your tribe and surround yourself with the right people, you’ll eventually end up forming what Napoleon Hill refers to as “a mastermind alliance.” This is essentially two or more people working towards a common purpose or goal.
Towards the end of the film, we see Gwen Stacy exemplify this when she gathers together a team to find Miles and help him save his dad.
But let’s get to why they need to save Miles’ dad in the first place. Well, once Miles arrives at Spider Society, he quickly realizes that it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be (sometimes reaching your goals can feel like that).
Once at Spider Society, Miguel O’Hara shares that all worlds are connected through a “Spider-Verse” and contain “canon events” or similar storylines that must unfold to ensure everything doesn’t collapse.
So, Miles’ attempting to save his dad, who is about to become police captain, from being killed by The Spot, would theoretically disrupt the universe.
And that is where we get to Lesson 2: Just because something has always been done one way, doesn’t mean THAT IS THE RIGHT WAY.
Growing up, we’re often told the “right way” involves going to school, getting a good education to get a good job, and working 30+ years to relax in retirement. But is that the only way? Of course not.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” — Henry Ford
So, yes, all the Spider-Men across the different universes can keep letting canon events happen and letting people die, or they can introduce one change that can lead to a cascading or butterfly effect.
We’ve seen countless examples of companies failing to introduce a change
Blockbuster thought people would continue coming to the store to rent movies and willingly pay late fees. Reality hit them hard when they didn’t change and Netflix drove them out of business.
Kodak was resistant to change and didn’t embrace the digital era, even though an engineer at their firm developed the first digital camera. Why? It would cannibalize their current business model. We know how that turned out.
You have the freedom to change. You have the freedom to divert from the “correct path” that others say is the only way. You can pave your own way. It’s your life!
Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah, I’m going to do my own thing. — Miles Morales
So Miles decides to blaze his own trail, defies the “wisdom” of the Spider Society, and starts on the path to saving his dad.
How? We don’t know yet, but that brings us to Lesson 3: When you have a clear why, the how will figure itself out.
With a clear purpose driving you, you won’t get distracted. Your subconscious will put you in the right position to find the right opportunities and make the right connections.
Why? Because you’re hyperfocused on your goal.
Now, I’m not going to say “The universe will bring you what you need.” It’s not magic, you still need to take action. You still need to move in the right direction, and inevitably, you will find the way.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. — Martin Luther King Jr.
And that brings us to our final lesson from something Gwen says to Miles’ parents towards the end of the film:
“[The] only thing I’ve learned from Miles, it’s all possible.”
