W

hile the crowds rate the new Superman movie Man of Steel with four to five stars, I am not even sure I can give it two stars.  

It'€™s just too violent for me and I can'€™t stand how countless lives are lost at the expense of the action, which is enjoyed by many.

While everyone else enjoyed the special effects, I was touched when young Superman had trouble getting along with his friends and eventually asked this question: '€œMom, why am I different?'€

That question struck me and made me cry in the middle of this movie. Being born a unique child seems to have led him to some misfortune: to be hit by his friends, to be mocked, to be hated. More often than not, he was hopeless and cornered, just because he was born with super powers.

After watching the film, my husband and I had a conversation about it.

My husband said it was every boy'€™s dream to be Superman, and that it was his fantasy when he was a child.

I imagine that hundreds of people queuing to buy the tickets for this movie are imagining themselves as Superman. In many parts of the world, many mothers are taking their children to the theater to see Superman save the earth.

My only hope is that parents taking their children to the cinema today can tell their children that they can be Superman too.

When they ask you if they can be Superman, try to convince them that they already are, but by loving others. As clichéd as it is, the moral values are easy to see: we need to be more compassionate and more connected to others.

Teach your children to nurture love, respect others and respect differences. Let'€™s make the world a better place by teaching them about differences. Embrace it. That everyone is different is inevitable.

I believe that diversity and difference in our lives are certain. We need not be against each other or hate each other. As much as we don'€™t want to be unfairly treated due to our uniqueness, we also need to remind ourselves that we are all human beings.

And that is the lesson that I learnt from Superman. My husband kept apologizing for taking me to see this movie, but I'€™m glad I did.

Let'€™s all be Superman!

Nelly
Jakarta