When we were children, we dreamed of glory. Of ourselves heroes, a shining light against whatever evils lurked in shadows. In our childhoods, we flew as angels, untouched by the reality outside of our heads. We saw ourselves in movies, in books, in those fictional greats who held true power and used it for justice and in the name of peace. As we played and dreamed and wished, perhaps we felt this call growing deep inside us; a voice bringing our deepest desires to the surface, whispering simply, "Rise and claim your place." We saw the world in black and white then. Good vs Evil. Light vs Dark. The voice beckoned us onward evermore, inspiring us to surpass the heroes we adored. To become greater than we ever imagined.
Childhood is beautiful, while it lasts. Many were lucky enough that theirs persisted until adulthood. But others became acutely aware of just how fragile the house of cards around them was far earlier. The world is indifferent. It does not care for the young eyes staring up at hateful parents. It does not care for the child sleeping on cold pavement, nor the child cowering in fear. Perhaps this is when far too many of us learned the world is an ugly canvas, painted in shades of grey. There is no Great Evil to vanquish, no light bright enough to pierce all the shadows. And the voice calling us faded to a mere whisper. Some held onto their heroes, hoping that despite it all, they too would rise above. Others cast them aside, hearts long grown bitter. What good is a hero if they cannot save one child, crying alone.
I carry one cruel truth: There is no Act Two. No great destiny awaiting us at the end of our road. We cannot become the heroes of our childhoods simply by wishing it so. None of us will wake up one day filled with superhuman vigor. The voice we heard all those years ago was our own. Perhaps we hold onto this fantasy because it would give us meaning, purpose. For what greater and clearer calling is there than a hero? We wrapped ourselves in this naive dream because even then we felt adrift in a vast ocean, not knowing what lay beneath the surface, nor what lay ahead. But we know now, some more acutely than others. What we have now is the rest of our lives, so shatter the grand illusion of cosmic destiny.
Or so I thought, until the toil of our hands and the sweat of our brows gave unto us a divine mandate. All of us here learned through sacrifice and pain that while the world is indifferent, the infinite universe around us is cruel beyond words, malicious beyond thought, and seeking the annihilation of all life. We pulled on the corner of the Veil and revealed the anomalous. And now, we must listen to that voice once again and rise as the guardians of humanity.
