A Wonder Woman State of Mind

                                          


“Now I know that only love can truly save the world. So I stay, I fight, and I give, for the world I know can be.” --Diana (Wonder Woman), Wonder Woman movie

Has my fascination and admiration of this Wonderful superhero gone so far as to permeate into a blog post meant to highlight my current thoughts of peace and nonviolence? While the obvious answer is a definite “yes,” I do not believe that it is something to be frowned upon, and I write today to share with you why that is.

Each day I realize more and more that the world we are currently living in is an odd mix of uncertainty, ignorance, disregard for human life, and positive, progressive, and compelling change. A global pandemic has not only amassed great uncertainty on multiple fronts, but also has unearthed and exposed blatant ignorance and disregard for human life that exists in so many individuals. By this I am referring to those who consistently refuse to wear a mask, commit themselves to haphazard arguments that attempt to negate science, and do not believe that COVID-19 poses a very real and dangerous threat. On a more optimistic note, immense change is occurring, and by this I am referring to the rising consciousness of the blatant racism that for centuries has poisoned our system, jeopardized and taken the lives of people of color, and crumbled our societal well being.

So what does Wonder Woman have to do with this, anyway? Well, it should be noted that my favorite superhero of all time has faced plenty of evil villains in her comic and cinema lifetimes. Even though Wonder Woman is generally involved in head-to-head conflicts with a singular super-villain, that evil individual is often a representation of multiple flaws within the world with questionable, yet intriguing motives and objectives. One might even say that they’re an “odd mix,” a living contradiction.

Now, more than ever, a Wonder Woman state of mind is essential. We will always live in a world that is an “odd mix” of things, where ideals that contradict each other seem to somehow coexist. What’s important is that we prioritize and fight (like Wonder Woman), for the hopeful and joyful components of that mix, for instance, progress towards peace and equality. After all, “only love can truly save the world.”

So I implore you: stay, fight, and give.

Tyler Easton is a Junior Peace Scholar at Ashland University majoring in Spanish and International Business with a minor in Ethics. He is a member of the ACN Steering Committee and the leader of the ACN mentoring program at Taft Intermediate School.