The Smartest in the Room

The girls at the table next to me are cramming for a final right now. I mean, I'm not trying to eavesdrop, they're just pretty loud. They’re going over their notes, asking each other questions, etc. But one of them is also clearly, in my opinion, using this as an opportunity to demonstrate her superior knowledge.  Even when she’s asking a question, the phrasing she’s selecting is designed to show that she knows her stuff. It’s like she’s less interested in the answer and more interested in tossing out big words and technical terms, not because of what they mean but because of how she feels it makes her sound. She, like many of us, wants to be the smartest in the room.

Here’s the thing I’ve learned though: you’re never the smartest in the room. That’s not a real thing. Everyone knows more than you about something. Maybe it’s music or dog breeds or fashion or landfills or astrophysics…but it’s something. And how cool is that? Isn’t it amazing that everyone around us has the capacity to teach us something? That there’s an infinite amount to learn?

And maybe this girl is brilliant. Maybe she’s going to go ace this final. But I wonder if she’ll get to a question that her friend could’ve provided insight for, had she been listening for the answer. And I wonder, as she goes through life, how many opportunities to learn she’ll miss out on. Must be a bummer, being the smartest in the room…

Morality, Minority and Why X-Men Rules

X-Men: Days of Future Past is coming out this month and it looks pretty awesome. How could it not be? It has superheroes and they're bringing back both Patrick Stewart AND Ian McKellan. But instead of delving into that amazing bromance, right now I want to talk about the other reason why I think X-Men rules.

X-Men is and always has been a story about the perils of minority—about the fear and distrust with which we face those who are different from ourselves and most importantly the terrible consequences of that approach.  The common thread woven throughout each chapter of this story is the fragile relationship between the mutants and humanity and the often catastrophic events that occur when one or the other steps off the road of tolerance. 

But here’s the part that we all need to realize--the X-Men movies (and comics) give us villains in the form of both mutants and humans. They are villains not because of their genetic code but because of their approach towards others. And Professor X is our hero because he gives mutants a place where they feel accepted and safe all while serving as a protector of humanity. This easily could have turned into a story of mutants vs humans. Or it could have been a story of good mutants vs bad mutants and ignored humans altogether. But it’s neither of those things and therein lies the genius of Stan Lee and the real lesson of the X-Men universe:

Your morality has nothing to do with WHAT you are. It’s about WHO you are and how you treat the people around you, regardless of what they are.

Your place in the battle of good vs evil isn’t determined by your sexuality, skin color, gender or any other part of your being any more then it is determined by the mutant gene.  It is determined by the choices that you make—to approach others with love not hate, understanding not fear and tolerance not judgment.

So channel your inner X-Man. You might not have the cool powers but that’s alright. The powers aren’t what make them heroes anyway…