Musings 060611: What’s your Mutant Power?

Left to right: Magneto, Moira MacTaggert, Emma Frost, Azazel, Beast, Havok, Angel Salvatore, Mystique, Professor X

We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. Yet it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities but its own talents as well.

~ Bruce Lee

So this past Saturday I had the opportunity to watch the movie X-men: First Class with my cousin who’s visiting from out-of-town. Naturally I’d pass up on movies nowadays since they’re either a.) the tickets are over priced and climbing at the moment, and b.) the quality of movies have fallen to the level of shock and awe, boobs and bomb blasts – however I don’t mind the boobs at all.

Warning – SPOILERS

There was something that was drawing me to this movie, a story about beginnings. For those of you not familiar with the X-Men read this article first then this one (the second link being the movie). There’s something about “the beginning of your power” theme that drew me into the movie. A group of humans that include a runaway, a holocaust survivor, Oxford professor, shapeshifter, a “beast” of a scientist, etc would be led by the great Professor X is all brought together to save the world from nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis. All of them have powers of their own that occur under circumstances that are unique to each of them and are discovered (usually) during their lives.

All of this hype coincided with a lesson one day that my Sensei spoke to us about: how sometimes through training there is a development of certain attributes…abilities that weren’t there in the beginning. You get what I mean? An example would be that some of us who are tall (5’10” >) can develop a sense of “groundedness”. The smaller guys could develop a sense of speed. Some others could develop a sense of flexibility without having done little to no stretching, etc. Was there something our consciences had to let go in order to let our “talents” come out? I guess so.

According to the X-men universe, a human mutant would have their respective powers come out usually during puberty (makes since that’s when our hormones are through the roof). Other ways power might show up is during times of extreme stress – a traumatic event or otherwise. I found the connection intriguing from the movie. For example: Magneto at first could only access his powers whenever he got angry (in the movie’s case, when his mother was murdered). Charles Xavier found his power right after he went through puberty and Mystique had it since she was born.

Could it just be body types? It could be, but it’s funny how I’ve noticed my body doing certain things that I’ve never thought I’d be able to do. Now I’m going to keep my “powers” a secret (mainly because they are in their infancy and they only come out after receiving an ass whooping), but I thought I’d share this funny coincidence between the movie and my Sensei’s message.

So, what’s your power?

Till next time ladies and gents!