If you had to live in a television show as the lead character for the rest of your life, which one would it be? As you can see by today’s title, I wish I was Barry Allen, aka The Flash, which is a show currently airing weekly on the CW.
For those who aren’t superhero nuts like myself, Barry Allen was an average guy living an average life as a police chemist doing what he could to help fight crime. But one night he’s suddenly struck by lightning, which also shatters various vials of chemicals he’s working with all over him. After awaking from a coma, Allen becomes fully imbued with the power to move at nearly the speed of light. In time, he also discovers he has the ability to pass through objects and phase into other dimensions as well.
Why I’d choose to be Barry Allen in this CW TV show is how much the lead character has qualities that remind me so much of myself. In it, Barry, who’s played by actor Grant Gustin, is somewhat of a nerdy loner with a sarcastic and witty side to himself. That’s pretty close to how I see myself today and how I mostly was during my teenage years. But the trait I’ve always admired the most about Barry Allen is the same I liked with how the comic books originally portrayed him. Barry’s truest inner desire was always to be a hero and help others, which becomes totally apparent once he gains his superpower.
I’m not really sure why I’ve always gravitated the most towards The Flash though given the rest of the team he eventually becomes a part of, that being the Justice League. After all, his teammates include Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman, all of which are much stronger and endowed with more than just a single ability. Maybe that’s why though because just like I was when growing up, Barry Allen was that average skinny geek who was regularly picked on and bullied and never fast enough to get away from any of it. But when he gains the ability to run even faster than Superman, he doesn’t run away from any of that danger anymore. Instead, he runs right towards it finding plenty of ways to utilize his gift to help protect the greater good of mankind.
By far, I find this CW series to be the most accurate I’ve ever seen a comic book hero portrayed. For years I waited to see something like this manifest for my favorite fictional character and thankfully, it’s finally here. I really wish there was a way for me to magically transport myself into this series and live as Barry Allen. Alas, I’m pretty sure there’s not so I guess I’ll have to settle for living vicariously through watching actor Grant Gustin on my television screen each week. And in the meantime, while I continue to enjoy watching this new series, I patiently await the development of my own unique spiritual superpowers, as I’m totally convinced we all have them lying dormant within us, waiting to emerge when the time is right, solely for the sake of being a guardian of the Light.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson