WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SUPERMAN?

I remember when I was a kid, back when television was in its infancy and only streaming  in black and white, my favorite program was  “Howdie Doodie.”  When I got a little older and was then a ‘big’ little kid, us guys, without question, loved  “Superman.” Even back then, I still recall that even more exciting than the fighting action between the bad guys and good guys was the sense of satisfaction that came once justice was served on those who went astray and got their recompense. I can still remember the seeming inherent pleasure that came from knowing Justice would prevail. I hadn’t thought about my hero, Superman, for years but when he happened to come to mind the first  phrase that immediately popped up was, “the never ending fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way.” Every Superman episode either started or ended with those words.

When I thought of those words, words I hadn’t heard in ages,  a feeling of nostalgia came over me. I asked myself, “Why don’t we hear those words anymore?” What was even worse was to come to the stark realization that two of the three terms are rarely ever mentioned anymore.  Justice is still a hot topic and we’ve made some progress legally insisting on obedience since the 1950’s, but “Truth” and the “American Way” seem to have little relevance today.  First, modern philosophy did a major job on ”truth” proclaiming there can be no such thing as truth because technically nothing can be proved beyond any absolute doubt.  Then “post-modern” philosophers came along recognizing that such a claim was obscure because if there were nothing true then the very statement, ”nothing is true” could not be true leading  to an absurd contradiction. So the post-moderns have settled the issue among themselves by agreeing there is truth but it is all relative, what’s true for one society may not be true for another. They’ve succeeded in emasculating truth to where it is no longer a useable concept. Truth has vanished.

The term “the American Way” hasn’t fared any better. First, stop to think, there is no consensus on what  the “American Way” is any longer.  There once was a time back in the 1950’s( in the scheme of things, not long ago) when you could  say, ”the American Way” without having to explain what you meant.  A person just knew you meant taking pride in recognizing we were all working for the betterment of community. Working to be a productive member of a society, living by a work ethic without the insistence on entitlements and hand-outs was a given. Those were still the days when you knew all your neighbors on the block and you were expected to be considerate of their welfare. No, it sure wasn’t an idyllic world then, but at least there was still a code of conduct, a moral code on which society was in general agreement. A lot could be said but this is not the time to pursue that discussion.  Suffice it to say that two of three pillars of US society have all but witnessed their demise in the lifetime of most of us reading this.

What a sharp contrast to a concept  I happened to come across when reading the Bible recently. The idea presented in Psalm 51:10 stood out in bold relief. The plea is sounded, “Create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit in me.”  I guess part of my surprise was the realization that I hadn’t heard that word, “steadfast”, uttered even once in general conversation.  It, too, has seemed to go the way of “truth” and “The American Way.” So when reading the verse I couldn’t help but pause to contemplate the term.  A myriad of connotations flooded my consciousness.  “Steadfast” - these are some of the synonyms I came up with: determined, unchangeable, persevering, reliable, firm, staunch, consistent, tireless and dependable. But which of these did the writer, David, ask for in his plea?  First let me explain something about language translation.  It’s not accurate to just take a word from one language , like Hebrew, then translate it into another language, like English, and then look up the definition in an English dictionary and feel you’ve come up with an equivalent. There are just too many variables involved as I’ve discussed elsewhere. What we can be reasonably certain of is that a combination of synonyms gives an adequate approximation of the meaning. Then based on the context of the verse we can see David was talking about his resolve not to repeat the same errors he had in the past.

You’ll notice ,too, that all these English synonyms of the Hebrew translated “steadfast” have a positive connotation. We admire someone who is described as “reliable, determined, stable, consistent or tireless.” These are all terms describing a successful  person in business and a valued friend in personal context.

Now why is it that our society doesn’t readily admire someone who we’d consider steadfast in moral or ethical standards? As I’ve argued in another venue, the reasons run the gamut of fears, misunderstanding, threat and judgment.  If he has no strong conviction on anything and has never enunciated in words, mentally at least, what he stands for, he’ll unconsciously compare himself negatively to someone with strong convictions.  Another may feel threatened by an unswerving position. She may be fearful of being judged by that other person’s standards. However as soon as she can enumerate her convictions, mentally, not even audibly, the threat, the fear dissipates.  The phenomena occur regardless of how opposed her own believes are to the other’s, whether conservative or liberal. Unfortunately our culture doesn’t encourage publicly espousing value convictions except for maybe one, diversity , which of course is far too nebulous a concept to build a foundation on.  It’s tantamount to saying, “Anything goes.”  And yet convictions that one considers of value are required for a strong foundation for one’s being or essence.  There is something empowering in being able to say with steadfastness, with certainty, “this I believe.” If you’ve ever felt so  adamantly  the need to announce that  belief, you know the surge of power that courses through you at such a moment.   I encourage you to enumerate for yourself your own set of values that make you feel empowered, determined, stable, solid and grounded.  If you haven’t yet, you may be surprised to find they are the identical values passed on through recorded history.  Some call them traditional,  intimating they have “stood the test of time,” they work.

Qualities like love, forgiveness, integrity are being verified as efficient and effective by the latest scientific experimentation.  In my field of study, sociology, I read study after study affirming the importance of the traditional American family, for example, though that lifestyle equates to perhaps only fifty percent of what constitutes “family” in our culture.  The level of happiness, stability, protection from substance abuse and criminality provided by a traditional family is now unquestioned. Back in the 60’s before long term studies were done, my colleagues, sociologists, were predicting just the opposite, but no more.  I personally can’t help but respect anyone I know to be steadfast in humanity -enriching beliefs. I envy the passion that emanates from them.  I admire the stability and trustworthiness they engender.  Look at someone like S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, the national chicken fast food restaurant franchise.  Though  a billion dollar operation,  Mr. Cathy is firm, steadfast, in his unrelenting demand that affiliated stores be closed on Sundays. He is still adamant  that everyone needs at least one day per week to devote to recreation, worship and time with family. Being a businessman myself, I don’t know if I could go that far in running my business, but I can’t help but admire someone who stands firm though  conventional wisdom would predict such a stance eliminates a mountain of revenue and profit (the truth is, his  operation is immensely profitable).

So what is it you feel passionate about? What is it in your relatively short life you feel as strongly about today as yesterday? Anything?  Do you stand for some cause, anything?  Self respect is enhanced once we can decide on where we draw the line.  “This I believe.”  Win first your own admiration, don’t worry about others.  I can note a number of ideas I believe that haven’t changed for some 50 years or so. Such concepts as absolute truth,  justice,  the power of love, a Higher Power and other generic ideas I’ve based my life course on.…they have served me well . 

In this article my thesis has been there is something to be said for why the Bible writer, of all things, would pray for a steadfast spirit.  I hope you can value the qualities of “determination, reliability and perseverance, tirelessness” inherent in being “steadfast.” I say, “Bring back those elusive values of truth, justice, and that idyllic dream of an ”American way.” I think we need more supermen and superwomen.