How You Can Be a Superhero in Real Life
Superheroes have always been popular, and perhaps the main reason is that we want to believe in something – or someone – greater than us who can support our ideals, ideals that we may not always live by.
Did you know that there is such a thing as a real-life superhero (RLSH)? An RLSH is a person who dresses up in costumes – uniforms if you will – and actually help those in need and fight crime.
Crazy? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
I do think there is a better way to be a superhero in real life, though, and in this sense, there’s really only one way: help those who are in need, even though they may not ask for it, or you may not get any thanks – and that doesn’t mean you have to pick out a costume and walk the streets looking to fight crime.
So how can you be a superhero in real life?
Ways you can help
Giving directly to charity
This reminds me of a poster I saw at a metro station. It featured a little kid wearing a cape, superhero-style. Naturally, that got my attention, but what kept me reading was the fact that it was an advert for a charity that helped the children of fallen soldiers go to school. It touched my heart, as I realized that, while some military families may be well off enough to continue sending their kids to school, some may not have that ability without the head of the family. That poster’s call to action was along the lines of “Be a superhero to someone.”
Now isn’t this one way you can be a superhero in real life? Even if you make a difference in only one child’s life, it will mean everything to that child.
Supporting campaigns
Another way that you can be a superhero to someone is to support any of the plethora of campaigns that are going on today. Whether it’s a soup kitchen in your town or it’s a petition on Change.org or it’s a crowdfunded project – it doesn’t matter. As long as you deem the cause worthy and you believe that the people behind the campaign are truly helping others, then lend your support.
What does support mean, exactly?
Well, there is the monetary donation, of course. But that is not the only way you can help. It is understandable that not everyone has a lot of dispensable income, so another way you can be a superhero in real life is to volunteer your time and/or expertise. Go to the soup kitchen once a month and help out. Those entities always welcome helping hands – literally.
You can also spread the word – online or offline. The chances are that you are active on social media. Why not use that as a bullhorn for a good cause?
Here’s one example: LeVar Burton’s Kickstarter campaign to bring back Reading Rainbow, which targets children’s education.
Making smart purchases
If you’ve got some dispensable income, and you’re a true blue geek, then I know exactly how you feel when you walk into a comic book store, a bookstore, or a gadget store (or when you browse your favorite online shops). You’re like the proverbial kid in a candy store!
Before you make your next purchase though, why not think about this: patronize shops that have a sense of social responsibility and give back to their community in one way or another.
Not to toot our own horn, but GeekSupply, for example, has a giveback program wherein we’ve partnered up with specific organizations which receive 10% of monthly sales. So, the higher the sales, the more is given back.
Currently, the charity in highlight is the Martin Center Sickle Cell Initiative, which “exists to aid and enhance the lives of those affected by Sickle Cell and associated disorders by providing services, education, and advocacy.” This condition is particularly close to our hearts as two of the three founding members suffer from this disease.
Today is actually World Sickle Cell Awareness Day. The CDC fully supports this awareness campaign, as it realizes the condition is does not get the attention it needs. To learn more about the condition and ways you can help, visit the CDC’s page for World Sickle Cell Awareness Day.
But we’re not the only ones engaging in such activities. While not all geek shops give back a fixed percentage of their sales to charity, many regularly hold campaigns and sales to profit a specific cause.
Follow your fandom’s examples
Did you know that many geek icons are also engaged in their own charitable activities? This article from Wired highlights the likes of Matt Smith. And since you probably follow your fandom very closely, you will not fail to see any announcement of a charitable campaign. When you do, jump in!
So there you have it – you can easily be a superhero in real life by helping others in need, and you don’t even have to be as buff as Stephen Amell of Arrow (although that would be nice, yeah?). Do you have other ideas? Why not share with us in the comments below?
