I was raised on comic books. I took to heart the words of Willy Wonka and lived in a world of pure imagination. The impossible always seemed just improbable, and dreams where just things that hadn’t happened yet. I grew up with a desire to be super hero and to change the world with my fantastic feats.

As I grew older my taste in heroes changed from Superman to Henry David Thoreau and Gandhi. I leaned back into the past and remembered the heroes from before. I grew strong with the desire to change the world with my brain like …Batman. I still wanted to be struck with magic lightening or an alien meteor to become a super being that can make a difference in the world (Like I said, the impossible still seems only improbable), but I was willing to do what I could with what I was given. So, what was I given? Certainly not great physical strength. I’m not a super genius, in fact, I’ve often been struck with the fact that I can always find someone that has written what I want to say, better then I could have thought to say it. It has all been said before, and no one listened. With my dream shattered, I grew up.

I hit all of life’s major problems. I went to school, I got a mundane job. I fell in love, I fell out of love. I became one of the gray masses, but I never stopped dreaming of the impossible. I tried on the flashy costume (Hey, I’m gay. It was kind of expected) but when I stepped out of the closet I noticed the cold stone walls around me and felt a little embarrassed. Stigmatized, I returned to being one of the masses. Then I got my wish.

From out of no where this alien virus attacked me and transformed me into, most possibly, the weirdest super hero you can think of. Instantly I was transformed. I felt no different then before but everyone else’s perception of me changed. I had stopped being a Person and became an HIV Victim! Left for Dead by Society I was now able to pursue my heroic feats full time with the help of trusted friends and family. In this transformation I was given super vision and observation! Suddenly I realized I was no longer a black and white boy, I was a techni-color kid! I also realized I was actually in a prison of stone walls called … Ignorance! I was trapped within it like a prisoner. How could I possibly escape and triumph? My blood may be poison, but you can’t poison a wall.

First I used my brawn. Has anyone ever hit a wall? You hurt yourself more then the wall. After a few scrapped knuckles I realized this was not the way to defeat my enemy. I had to use my brain. You can’t reason with a wall. It just doesn’t listen. I then remembered a trick from an old comic book. (Like I said, it’s all been done before). An immortal god was imprisoned by mortal villains. Our heroes staged a brilliant plan to break out the god but found him content in his cell, tapping his finger on the wall. When asked what he was doing he said "Escaping. As I tap at this wall it will eventually crumble and fall." So, I started to tap on the wall. Sure enough, little pieces came off. I was making headway, but then I noticed how long it was taking. Then I remembered. When our heroes noted that it would take for ever to escape that way he replied "I’m immortal. I have the time." Well, like Superman and his Kryptonite, the one weakness I had was a lack of time. This virus that gave me my power would one day burn me out. Everyone eventually dies but with my heightened hearing I could hear the clock ticking (But I still didn’t know when the alarm was set). I was reminded of an old Marvel comic (well, ’87). STRIKEFORCE : MORITURI (remember, it’s all been done before). In this comic the world had been invaded by aliens, and to fight back we created a process to create Super soldiers. The only problem was that the powers given where random and the excelerated metabolism would eventually (and at a random time) cause the subject to spontaneously combust. I had no time to waste.

There had to be a middle ground. I was not a content prisoner in this ignorance and this tapping away was taking to long. In my frustration I half heartily hit the wall again. Kind of a Knock really. Oddly enough, some one knocked back. Of course! The other prisoners! With a kind of Morris code (which continues to tap at the wall) I started to get the other prisoner to talk to me (which makes him tap on the wall). He told me he had been talking to other prisoners (It’s all been done before. I’m not starting anything new) Then it occurred to me. When a hero can’t handle a menacing force what does he do? He gets help! The Super Friends! Comic books are filled with great heroes putting aside petty differences to team up with other heroes to battle an evil to great for just one hero.

Do you know what happens when you knock on a wall? Sometimes you find a door. Sometimes you can even open that door (or have it opened for you). As I stepped out of another closet, I then noticed just how big a prison I was caught in. Endless hallways and corridors. A virtual labyrinth with countless other lost prisoners (many without a hope of escape). These other prisoners I noticed (with my super vision) had been struck with the same virus. I began to try and teach them how to use their super powers before they would "Burn out" (Powers were a little different from person to person, but those with the courage to learn soon discovered how to use their powers well).

So, with my new found team mates we took a look at the virus that gave us our powers. And we took a lesson from it. We spread out like a virus and began to find more team mates (not to mention the ever helpful hero support teams. Where would Batman be without Robin? Okay, Robin is a hero too, but what about Alfred the butler? No flashy costume, no powers, but vital to the operation of the Batcave. These are the heroes behind the heroes.) Our mission, keep knocking on the walls. Keep searching for doors and weak spots. One of us is bound to escape, and we have vowed to mark the passages and come back in with reinforcements until we have all escaped the walls of ignorance or they lay crumbled to dust at our feet.

I remember another quote from a hero. When he explained his plan his team mates yelled out "That’s impossible!" and he replied, "Don’t be ridiculous. You only say it’s impossible because no one’s ever done it before." (Guess what, the plan worked. He knew the impossible was merely improbable). So, here I am, knocking on the walls of ignorance. It may not be glamorous or flashy, but it’s working. It’s these kind of subtle maneuvers that the enemy underestimates and falls prey to. I’ve noticed that ignorance is so deaf it doesn’t hear us coming with all this knocking. Suddenly a door is opened and some of ignorance is defeated. Some of the others have taken a lesson from the medications we use to stabilize ourselves (to keep from burning out). They fight ignorance as it’s formed. Stopping it before it can form, changing how its formed, or making sure it doesn’t form again. I found out that my greatest super power is hope and imagination (maybe a little determination also). Even if it has all been said before, if I can get one more person to listen, or chip away at a little more of the wall, it’s worth it. So I’ll continue to knock on the walls of ignorance, because I know the impossible is merely improbable.