Noah's+Page

= Hello!! My name is Noah Drake and I'm a second semester senior at the University of Colorado. I've learned a lot of lessons these past four years, but sometimes the most powerful are the ones we learn when we're young. = = = = = = = //**I believe in heroes.**// = media type="file" key="NoahDrakeTIB.mp3" =

My favorite television show? Easy. //Justice League//. Just mentioning the name brings back the childhood memory of a routine Saturday morning; bare feet sliding out of their warm cocoon under the covers and reluctantly making the grizzly trek across the cold tile floor to get the rest of me to the couch in time to faithfully watch Superman and his compatriots take on the problems of the world within a 30 minute timeslot. By the time nine o’clock rolls around, I was privileged enough to see our civilization come to the brink of destruction and back three or four times. My mother often questioned how I could wake up so easily on the weekend when rising for school was such a difficulty. The answer was always the same, “Mom, starting the weekend with superheroes just feels better.”

As I grew older that feeling never left me. When you watch a hero you feel as if there’s someone out there that has your back and, no matter how bad things get, you can be confident you’re not alone. As we struggle to make sense of the world around us, life can feel like a disaster waiting to happen. When I was a child, I took great security knowing there were special people out there who would look out for me simply because I was another human being. Gradually I began to realize heroes come in more flavors than spandex tights and a red cape. From the firefighter who pulls a child from a burning building, to the bus driver who moves the life blood of our economy by arriving to his destination on time. From the construction worker who empowers progress with his own two hands, to the teacher who devotes her entire life to young minds in hope of a better future. We live in trying times, but we also live in a nation suited for the challenge. America was built on the values of strength, courage, and the bravery it takes to risk your own life for the freedom of another. That’s why I get tears in my eyes and chills down my spine when I attend a memorial parade and hear the stories of those who sacrificed their very lives defending the flag, regardless of their personal political ideology. It is that flag which embodies the concept of America, the freedom to come together whatever the circumstance, the security that comes with knowing that whatever your beliefs, someone else shares your journey.

I used to have an all-time favorite //Justice League// episode. In it Superman is transported to an alternate universe where the //Justice League// uses their powers for personal gain rather than helping others. I can still remember the anxiety that came with the realization of just how fragile the balance between good and evil is. Without the sacrifice of heroes, the world becomes easy prey to people interested only in serving their own desires. I will never forget the lesson I learned about what truly separates a hero from a villain. Though I am now an adult I still find it best to adhere to a Superhero’s motto: “What ever you do, don’t forget others along the way.”