4/27/10

Controlling the Weather And Looking Fabulous

I have this perpetual desire to be extraordinary and phenomenal. It borders on unreal, though, as oftentimes I imagine myself to have some hidden super power that nobody else on Earth could possibly have. Of course, I never came up with anything particularly original. I don't read comics, but anyone who has would recognize any of the machinations that pop into my mind. Given the opportunity to map my new powers to a character currently in existence, Storm from the X-Men has always been on the top of my list.

I enjoy her powers immensely, and part of the reason is they have the potential to be both destructive and constructive. I like the idea of balance, and control over the weather definitely provides opportunities to maintain such a structure. Of course, as much as I love Ororo Munroe for all the fierceness that she is, I don't want to embody all her characteristics, most notably her claustrophobia, which has little to do with her power, but it manages to incapacitate her at the most inopportune times.

That being said, I think there's a downside to her power possibly not discussed in the X-Men comic. I'm sure many people are aware, whether superficially or intensely, of chaos theory. More or less, it flows with the most metaphysical of ideas that every action has a consequence that cannot be instantly determined. Commonly, the example given is a butterfly flapping its wings has the potential to cause a tornado halfway across the globe. Maybe to some, it seems like nonsense, but we've all witnessed incredible domino effects in our lives, so I don't see why an example such as that should be so unusual. Of course, the theory doesn't imply that the tornado appears the instant a wing is flapped or that it has to happen at all. Either way, imagine the consequence that creating a tornado can have on a space across the globe. Hell, consider the consequence it could have on the next town over. In that respect, Storm's powers maybe inherently be more destructive than I ever previously credited her. We witness daily the continually changing weather conditions often to polar extents, and sometimes, meteorologists are just way off the mark. They are good at giving an idea, but honestly, they don't know anything until it happens. They may as well peer out the window and just let you know about that in case you haven't crawled out of bed yet.

So would I still want Storm's abilities granted that they could be fucking it up for everyone? Yes. It would certainly give me something to do, I imagine. Also, it would garner an incredible amount of attention. I guess that flows into themes of fiction through the ages, though, where super-powered persons are trapped by their governments and prodded. I don't wish to be prodded or studied. I just want to fly around and melt the snow when I see it. (Yes, that is ultimately more destructive, but I am allowed to be selfish in my imagination.)

I guess I am skirting over why I feel the need to imagine myself not just better but fantastical. I can't say I'm totally sure. I guess even at my peak, I've always felt there's someone better than me, but that's true for everyone. Nobody is literally the best ever at what he or she does, just the best recognized by the public. Recognition is something powerful. I have been recognized for various achievements, mostly through school, but who doesn't want the world to recognize their achievements? Not too long ago, I wondered if I had ever saved someone's life unintentionally. Bringing more chaos theory into the mix, I suppose I'll never know if some good decision on my part ultimately saved someone from dying or going down a dark path. That is neither here nor there, though, because I will never know and neither will the world.

Maybe I am just egomaniacal, or I have a complex. Either way, I enjoy my fantasies. At the very least, I know they'll never happen, so you won't see me jumping off a building in a foolhardy attempt to fly, nor will I go up against a group of thugs robbing the bank I visited on my lunch break. I'm a total sissy and I have such little muscle in my arms that when I flex, the space around them buckles inward. But it provides me some comfort to fantasize about what could happen if there just the smallest semblance of magic in the world. We all have to believe in magic and miracles sometimes. I don't care what religious background you come from, one way or another, you have to have wished for at least the sun peering through a dark cloud.

Even if it isn't overt, I think there's something to the friendships and relationships we build which seems almost magical. It's amazing how the people around you are such factors for change in your own self, how they influence everything you do and how they have the power to bring you up and break you down. When it comes down to it, though, love is an indiscernible thing, but it can heal you. It doesn't have to cure cancer, but imagine your ills without somebody there to smile at you sometimes. It isn't lasers out of my eyes, but if my love can save someone's life unknowingly, I have to learn to be thankful for just that.

4 comments:

  1. I think that Storm, by the nature of her power itself, would have control over all the meteorological consequences of her actions.If Chaos Theory applied to her, too, she would still be able to contain any repercussions by virtue of being able to de facto control the weather.

    I think we all know what I'd want my Super Power to be.

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  2. That stretches into another idea I've considered, too. Does having a power over creation of some kind (weather, life, prestidigitation) imply that the magic user understands all facets of the creation or is the power doing most of the thinking for him/her? So it goes by your account that either Storm's powers be default maintain the balance or she has the mental capacity to quell the spread of her actions.

    And yes, I know what your power would be, and it is ultimately destructive.

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  3. I've always been a big Storm fan. I love how her one weakness, claustrophobia ('cuz they all need that one thing that makes them fallible,) also connects to what makes her so awesome: her sense of freedom. She glides and flies and communes with the Earth and this denotes freedom, which is why her fear of being closed in is so apt. Yeah it stems from memories of her parents dying and being scared as a little girl, but it's this kind of thought and work that went into creating her that makes me argue that in so many ways comic book characters are just as intriguing and amazing as characters that were created by D.H. Lawrence or Toni Morrison.

    I also think that Storm is someone to be admired because of her dignity and her grace; this is a woman, let there be no mistake. There is also the very passionate and primal side to her, she may be classy, but she's also capable of flirting and enjoying her own beauty and the passion it inspires in her various male companions.

    Also, who else can rock long, white hair like that? ROWR.

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