"Balancing Superpowers"

Scott Benz

Youth Sunday

May 22, 2011

Good Morning. I am trying to emulate the pastors I admire, so as is common, I will start with a brief story.

Over 3000 years before the birth of Christ, the Ancient Greeks had a huge pantheon of gods, goddesses, and holy beings. One such deity, Nemesis, was the goddess of revenge, goddess of give and take, and also the goddess of balance. I guess she would be considered the goddess of karma these days. Her face was half beautiful, lovely, and comely, the other half burned, blackened, and scarred. She kept everybody’s personal experiences equal in joy and pain, as well as their good and bad fortune. If you burn down my barn, your livestock will all disappear mysteriously. According to the Greeks’ dogma, she always paid her debts, and always balanced somebody’s life. Now, obviously, some people have no such equilibrium, all negative, with no positive, and vice versa.

As most of you know, last year I had a lot of medical adventures, involving three strokes and a traumatic brain injury.

I had horrible luck, from having to relearn how to walk and write, regain some of my thinking and memory processes twice, and developing empathy with anyone who has ever or will ever have an MRI. Nevertheless, my life still stayed in equilibrium. I had amazing support, from my community, family, church, school, Youth Group, and the many doctors, nurses, and therapists. I will never be able to join the army or play any contact sport, which is such a shame because I so wanted to become a major league football star. I received lots of attention, even if it was of a kind you might not prefer, and will have a great story to tell in thirty years. Because of all this I think that my debt of blood, sweat, tears, and dead brain cells has been repaid.

This article is from the ‘Brain Injury Association of Minnesota’ magazines (now there’s a group you’d rather not be a member of). I have this article taped to my door, as I feel this describes me and my life. It was written by Mike Strand. The Title is: ‘My New Superpowers’ Quote: “I have acquired some new superpowers. Like most superpowers, I acquired them as a result of a mishap. In my case it was not exposure to radiation and/or a chemical spill. It was not even X-rays from space or exposure to a meteorite; it was the result of being hit by a semi-truck.

As is typical, it took a while for me to discover and learn to use my superpowers. Just like in the comics I did not welcome my new superpowers at first. Just like in the comics I hid them and was ashamed of them. I did not want to admit that I was “different”.

My first superpower is that of “Radical Acceptance” or as I call it “Epic Grace.” It started when I first accepted my injury; finding fault became immaterial because it didn’t change anything. Once I forgave myself I could forgive the world. Once I forgave the world I could forgive anyone and anything.

My second superpower is “Unique Perspective.” I have died and yet I live. Nothing really seems like a big deal anymore. I have lost everything so anything I have now is a bonus and each day is extra, tacked on beyond what I would have had. I no longer fear death.

My third superpower is “Indomitable Will.” After my brain injury, everything became very difficult. There was no easy way to do something. If everything is hard then it doesn’t matter what I try, anything can be done. If I can learn to walk, I can run a marathon. If I can learn to talk, I can learn to speak a new language. It is all the same.

So, with this trio of superpowers I make my way through the day. It not only makes my life easier, it makes life easier for all those around me. These superpowers are special too, as they can only be used for good; no matter what my intent, the result is always positive.” End Quote

I also feel that I have attained these superpowers. If I continue to practice Epic Grace, and having accepted that I had three sets of strokes, I can empathize with others more readily, including other people with genetic disorders, or serious mental illness. I just don’t find anything surprising any more. One gauge I use to determine whether I want to spend more time in an acquaintances’ presence is to tell my story. I expect some incredulity, but when it comes down to it, the people I want to be around tend to be very sympathetic, and the, well, other people just go, ‘yeah right’

Unique Perspective; well, I’ve done a bit of research, there are very few people in the world who have had multiple sets of strokes when they were 13. Doctor Joe Perra, the go-to orthopedic cervical spine specialist in this region, sees any weird spine cases like mine. He told us that he has never seen a congenital anomaly like this one. He said that he would have to add the “Benz variant” to his classification system. So even more so than most others, when adults who don’t know the story say that “you’re each special” I always think, ‘You’d better believe it.’ Despite this, I am still the same Scott. Same interests, hobbies, and goals as before this started.

Here is a definition of indomitable: “that (which) cannot be subdued or overcome, as persons, will, or courage; unconquerable” Yes, I think I have Indomitable Will. On my eighth MRI, when I knew well how unpleasant it was going to be, I was able to grit my teeth and hold still. The third time the hospital floor Physical Therapist, Sam, helped me to walk again I knew that I could do it because I had done it before. The second time I started having to relearn to write was the same week that I had graduated from Occupational Therapy for the previous stroke. As a result of all this trauma and relearning, I am so stubborn as to refuse to admit that I am stubborn.

What if everyone aspired to these superpowers? The world would be a better place. I have seen a minority of students at school practicing Radical Acceptance through groups such as the Gay Straight Alliance. If this became the mainstream mentality, there would be much less discrimination. We all already have a unique perspective, but the idea behind this is a little deeper. We should treat every second of every day as a gift, because, in truth, that is what it is. If we could do this, there might be a decrease in conflicts between racial, ethnic, and religious groups.

If everyone had Indomitable Will, we could use this as another strength and resource for social justice, as well as justice in general.

In closing, I encountered a blessing in very deep disguise. As the greatest blessings of Nemesis were often the most deeply disguised, mine were as well. If we are to carry out God’s will on Earth, we need to welcome any assistance to this mission that we receive, though this assistance may appear in unexpected forms. As such, Let us pray.

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