I was recently reflecting on the appeal of escapism in fantasy, action, or superhero stories and it occurred to me that a big appeal (for me, anyway,) was that these characters had agency. Put in contrast with modern day life, I think people are feeling less and less empowered to enact change in the world or in their lives.

I thought about the Spiderman quote, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This saying apparently has origins as a proverb in classical parables dating back to the first century and is reflected in other expressions such as the principle “la nobeless oblige.”

For me, it can be easy to fall into a victim mentality when I feel helpless or powerless. To combat these feelings, I decided to invert the quote in my mind… “With great responsibility comes great power…”

It helped me to look for ways that I can feel empowered by taking responsibility for how I respond to the world in which I live.

I hope you find it helpful!