Clark Kent vs Superman

I must confess, Superman has never been my favourite superhero. Even as a kid, it was pretty obvious to me, the creators had got something wrong. I could never understand, why would nobody call his bluff. Surely, it takes more than a pair of thick rimmed glasses to separate one man from another. A twin, perhaps? A meek younger brother? The thread on which suspension of disbelief runs – stretched long and thin. Perhaps, that’s why, the dark knight had me intrigued. Or, the dark side is one that’s more alluring.

In a strange twist of events, if I have to re-analyse the dual personalities of ‘Superman’ today, I’d be more empathetic. I see a characterisation that strikes a chord. Once again, I highly doubt the creators of ‘Superman’ actually thought this one through, I might be reading deeper, but, there could be some truth in it. Now, that I’ve grown up, I see a strong emphasis on becoming a prototype of ‘Clark Kent’. Clark Kent seems to have caught up with his super altar ego. Do things what others do, achieve moderate success, and lead a humdrum life with each rising sun. It’s still ‘OK’ for a kid to dream of becoming ‘Superman’. Not that I ever dreamed of that happening. Although, I do vaguely remember, my older brother lifting me in his arms and swinging me around as ‘Superman’. The feeling of carefree abandon is something I cherish, even today.

Everyday, while we’re not travelling, and living life as is, I find myself turning into Clark Kent. Someone who could be mistaken for anyone. Fearful of what’s out there, especially of the unknown. Oddly enough, I recently bought myself thick rimmed glasses. The dull buzz of the washing machine, whirring fans above, and clattering of my keyboard, drown away all the other sounds that I might hear. With the periods between travel extending longer than expected, the void only gets bigger.

And yet, travel has given us countless moments of feeling ‘Super’. Of knowing what it means to conquer fear of the unknown or meeting new people, and finding out who we are, or at least getting nearer towards knowing. This year has been challenging, both personally and trip wise. But, for every weak moment that got us down, we had countless opportunities to walk back into nature and realise, it was just a moment – it would pass.

It’s the last month of the year. And it’s possibly my final post for this year. It’s time, to don those capes, say goodbye to Mr. Kent, and fly away. Become ‘superhuman’ again and explore what lies beyond the familiar nest – we’ve created. It will be a while before my next post, until then, enjoy the holidays, and may the new year bring with it many more moments of strength, to achieve all that we may have dreamed of or what we hadn’t the slightest clue about.