Heroes Help You Love Yourself
In 2012, while other 14-year-olds were getting their first kisses, I was actively risking the cybersecurity of my family downloading the latest “Green Lantern” comics from Pirate Bay.
As a normally law-abiding boy, this departure into a life of piracy was, ironically, engendered by the debut of a new superhero. Fictional, Simon Baz is the sixth human Green Lantern but, more crucially, he is the first Muslim character to headline a DC or Marvel comic series.
Now listen, I love Batman and Superman as much as the next guy. And actually, probably way more than the next guy. But take away the costumes, and it’s really only their hairstyles that differentiate them from their otherwise shared flavor of white man.
In the process of learning to love yourself, you find that some parts are easier to love than others. You also find that the world tells you that some parts are more lovable than others.
As dumb as it sounds, as a Muslim growing up in non-muslim countries, a dark-skinned Muslim green lantern helped me feel ‘seen’ but more importantly than that — cool.
See, the thing is, while we all host a multitude of identities, it is the ones that we feel are marginalized that we hold closer to our hearts.
For example, while I can’t speak for women, as a man I will take part in the tradition of doing so anyway¹, and I would submit that women probably think about their gender more than men do. And that’s because they get targeted and unfairly treated for their gender.
Put simply, we feel more protective of the parts of ourselves we feel have to protect.
The same applies to race, sexuality, faith, and even nationality.
Which brings me to the Olympics. *wow what a transition — this guy really knows how to write*
You know what’s better than fictional heroes? Real-life heroes.
As an Indonesian, who loves sports, I spend most of my days eagerly hoping and then being absolutely crushed by the Indonesian national soccer team’s fixtures against the rest of the world.
Because of this, seeing Indonesian athletes plant our flag at the top of the sporting world, in the Olympics, is a welcome and exhilarating feeling.
Listen, I don’t need a reason to love being Indonesian. I do. But sometimes it’s nice to have a reason.
What I’m saying is, whether fictional or real, heroes help you love the parts of yourself you see in them.
They give you a reason to be proud of the things people tell you to be ashamed of.
I only pray that one day, you — dear reader — and I can help give people that same feeling too.
Thanks for reading and please love yourself!
Footnotes:
- This is a joke. I apologize on behalf of all men.
