What superpower would I want and why? For many of us, that’s been a common journal/writing prompt in elementary school. Something made the question a little different this time around though – if I had the power to change the world. That to me makes a difference. A superpower just for my own entertainment versus one to make a difference in the world. I thought about this question and settled on the the ability to help people experience or relive a certain point in time. There’s two ways I want it essentially to work.
One would just simply be allowing someone to relive a memory. It can be a happy childhood memory or a memory with a loved one. Sometimes we miss those moments in time where we wish time could just stop. Since time is a trickier concept to manipulate and make good use of, I figured this would be the next best thing. It can also be reliving a point in time that was difficult to help with motivation and determination in a current situation. Or just a moment in time that is missed. It would be a quick experience, but enough to make people remember the memory a little clearer.
The other way is letting people experience someone else’s memories. This is basically the literal way of putting people in other people’s shoes. I want to create greater understanding and compassion this way. It can be simple – between two friends who are arguing so they truly see each other’s perspectives. It can also be on a greater scale – a politician or someone who is in a position of power to create greater change for those less fortunate in society. Maybe through an experience, problems will truly become visible to them. Or between groups of people who just live vastly different lives. The rich and the poor. The young and the old. Between people of different racial backgrounds, different religions, different socioeconomic backgrounds. The list goes on and on.
There is a lot about society that needs changing, a lot of people that need helping, a lot of issues that need solving. Where it all starts though, I believe, is understanding where we all come from. I hope this superpower can help in that aspect. As much as reliving the past or a specific experience might be useful however, I do believe it’s more importantly using that to do good in the presence and, thus, the future, that gives it its value.
