From Superman Returns...I thought it was worth sharing...

Why The World Doesnt Need Superman

- By Lois Lane
Metropolis. For five long years the world has stared into the sky, waiting,
hoping and praying for his return. Weve spent our days asking where he
went, debating why he left and wondered is he even alive. Perhaps he left us
for another world, a world in peril, a world in greater need of a saviour. Is it
selfish desire him for ourselves? Are we expected to share the man weve
come to love or did we do something wrong?
Did we take him for granted? Perhaps we did. Maybe we all did, it's not our
fault. We are far from super. Yet a mother will accept her children regardless
of their misfortunes. Why have you rejected us for ours? Perhaps were a
lost cause unworthy of help and doomed to continue on a path of selfdestruction. He has moved on, helping others with a foreseeable future of
peace and harmony.
From the first day he mysteriously appeared we were enamoured. He
seemed too good to be true. A man who could fly, see through walls, bend
steel with his bare hands. A man who never lied. A man who could do
anything he wanted to yet he chose to be a hero. He chose to fight for truth,
justice and the American way, And we chose to believe. we put our faith, not
in the hands of God, but in the hands of another Lives were not saved by
any kind of divine intervention, miracle or act of God. they were saved by
one man, and one man only, our Superman. We didnt question his
intentions and other than a few basic facts we didn't question his
unbelievable origins. When did he actually arrive? Where did he live? Where
did he get that suit? It didn't matter. He was good, and good for us and that
was enough.
A new generation of children have grown up idolising this hero, proud to
wear a cape and run around the family home. We welcome Superman into
our homes and family. He was a quintessential American. A role model for
our children and the guardian of their lives. Does a hero walk out on his
family? Walk away from his children? After letting us place our hopes on
him, his disappearance must be seen nothing short of abandonment. A
dereliction of duty. No better that a parent abandoning a child, a doctor
walking out on their patient. We must ask our selves if Superman returned
would we welcome him back? Could he heal the scars he left behind? The
city is in pain, its citizens angry, hurt and unforgiving. We have learned from
our bad judgement, and we are not prepared to make the same mistake
again.
It would take more than one man to reunite the people. He is lost our trust,
he betrayed us. He turned his us back on us and walked away. We would
have to question his motives for his return. Why after all this time he would

return? From the very beginning we labelled him as a man. We even used
the word it his titled - Superman.
Yet he was not a man. He was not even human. We expected an alien to
share the same feelings, emotions, beliefs and principles. Were the words
truth and justice a second language to him? Perhaps, we were fools to
believe he would understand the true meaning of words such as trust,
loyalty or love.
What is a hero anyway? Does one has to have superpowers, special abilities
or incredible talent to be a considerable one? Well that's what weve been
led to believe. Superman led us to forget our real heroes. What happened to
the firemen, policemen, teachers, social workers or local figure that used to
be considered a hero in our communities?
Each and every day of the year, firemen come to the rescue of those in
need. They are brave woman and men who serve communities with courage
and uncompromising devotion to humanity. These people are not just doing
their job, they are the heroes who take each task to heart and each life
saved is a victory for their team. Because of their selfless bravery and
heroism, many fire-fighters sacrifice their own lives to save others every
day. Their actions will never been forgotten.
In cities, towns and villages around the world, legions of teachers spend
every day protecting the minds, souls and spirits of children. They commit
their lives to the development of the worlds most precious resource. A
child's mind thirsts for knowledge. It is this knowledge, the knowledge
imparted to the youth that has given rise to the great man and women of
history. Knowledge gave birth civilisations and is the foundation of nations
including America. Teachers strive daily with little recognition to help each
child become the best they can. Teachers are heroes, our future lies in their
hands. These are examples of every day men and women. Men and women
who are heroes.
Superman was not just a hero. Superman was a superhero. Why isnt he
living up to his name? He was so much more that a mere mortal. Imagine a
future with this superhero. A future that was stolen from us. The world
welcomed Superman with open arms and why wouldn't we? Day after day
we saw the effect he was having. Crime plummeted, natural disasters were
prevented, the impossible became possible. What was more remarkable and
often overlooked, was that he wasn't just saving peoples lives, he was
changing them.
He gave us hope, he set an example and over the years we started following
that example whether we realised it or not. Wars stopped, all political,
religious feuds set aside, even volunteering and charitable donations
increased. For the first time in history we saw the closest thing mankind
could call peace. And to think it took an alien to show us what it meant to be
human. Unfortunately the one thing that reduces a miracle to the mundane

is a world full of them. Once everything is special, nothing is special. In a

world where he would suddenly appear to save someone from a fire or
divert a flood, there were no miracles. We stopped looking both ways to
cross the street. We didn't have to because if a car was about to hit us odds
were that he would zip at the last moment and save us. Soon we didn't even
remember how to look both ways. We lost our survival instincts. We became
careless, which wouldn't have really been a problem, but then he left.
Just as mysteriously he appeared he was gone, without warning, without
explanation. We looked to the sky and for the first time in years no one was
there. Some panicked thinking the worst had finally come to pass and
someone has finally discover a weakness and exploited it. Others held
steadfast believing that his sudden absence must have a logical
explanation. Perhaps this was a test. Maybe he was watching from above
and gauging our reaction. Hundreds, if not thousands of ideas and theories
sprang from every expert and government official but no answer could
satisfy us. Maybe there was no answer. Maybe hes justgone.
In fact maybe its better that he is gone. How can we be expected to
appreciate the good without the bad? Through suffering do we not gain
strength? Having relied on an almost omnipotent saviour for years, weve
forgotten how to rely on ourselves. He gave us strength, but with it,
weakness. In his absence, we must learn to unite and find strength in one
another. We must look not to the skies, instead we must look inside
ourselves to find trust, love and friendship for one another. Peace is our
champion, not a Man of Steel. Alas crime has skyrocketed, stocks
plummeted and old wars have been rekindled. The peace he inspired over
the years, seemed to end overnight, replaced by fear,, confusion and
betrayal. Even worse problems once held by our own, now seem
insurmountable without his help.
It is one year today that we witnessed one of the worst train disaster in
recent history. Among the 236 dead, were 28 school children and a pregnant
mother. The nation's press release said that all that was left was a mangled
mess of metal and bodies. Recovery workers and civilians united and worked
around the clock, in the hope of finding just one survivor, if any. But hope
was given up, when 12 hours later they could raise no sound. The train left a
huge gorge in the suburban landscape where now stands a tribute to those
who died in the wreckage. Among those attending todays memorial service,
is the husband and father of a deceased mother and their unborn child. To
this day he is haunted by the memories of the past. Through his suffering he
speaks the voice of many Americans: How could he let this happen? Curse
you Superman...
These words echo amongst the people, reaching the far corners of the
globe. In five years we have seen the oceans rise and kill hundreds of
thousands of innocent men, women and children throughout Asia. We have
seen civil wars destroy cities throughout the world and religious feuds wipe

our nations. Let the colour of Supermans cape remind us of the innocent
people who have died for it is their blood that is on his hands.
In the past we have turned to God, in times of need we prayed. For five
years we have prayed for you Superman, please bring back our Messiah.
The nation knelt before the alter and begged for your return. We were
blinded by your arrival, our faith misguided. For many of us, Superman
became our God. We only had to read the motto on our nations currency to
be reminded of the truth In God We Trust.
These words passed between our hands countless times a day, yet we still
managed to forget. We put our trust, not in God, but in Superman In
Superman We Trust. We trusted you, we all trusted youI trusted you. Does
he feel remorse, guilt or shame? Does he simply not care? Perhaps the
people of Earth are but a distant memory, a single snapshot lost in a mind
that is timeless.
Does he cry for the children who have died on his watch? Perhaps he really
is a Man of Steel cold, emotionless and hardened by his own immortality.
Would he say sorry?
Ultimately we are better off without him. It is true, we will come to endure
hardship in his absence. We will see more famine, environmental disasters,
crime, wars and bloodshed. But what is also true, is that the people of
America will always, without falter, and without abandoning their posts,
continue to strive for truth, justice and the American way.
Leaving the fate of humanity in the hands of one man would have been a
terrible mistake. If we dont learn to settle our grievances on our own we are
doomed anyway. We became dependent on someone unreliable, in fact he
did us a favour by leaving. Now we can learn to fend for ourselves, learn to
work out our differences regardless of whether they are based on race,
creed, gender or political view.
Ultimately we will unite and establish peace around the globe. If Superman
had stayed we would never accomplish this. Under the surface there would
have remained traces of a corrupt society, a seed that would grow if it
wasnt for Supermans cape blocking the sunlight. Now that he is gone, the
seed is left to grow, yet there is hope. For like a rose, we always see the
thorns before the flower. We will blossom and when we do, we will have
done it alone, we will have a world united.
People have always longed for God, messiahs and saviours to swoop down
from the sky and deliver them from their troubles but in the end these
saviours always leave and we are faced with the same troubles that were
here from the beginning. We wait for our saviours return though it will never
happen and we realise it was better had he never come at all.