The Problem with Krypton Is...

Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman played by Henry Cavill

The other night I watched Man of Steel with my dad and was almost dumbfounded with the realization that Kryptonians were bred around the time Kal-El (Superman) was born. The scene in which General Zod (the bad guy) furiously attacks Superman after his ship is returned to the Phantom Zone was the source of my epiphany. He says that because of Kal-El he now has no purpose because his only purpose in life, what he was bred to do, was protect Krypton and ensure it's survival.

The short interchange between Superman and General Zod took me by surprise because, as an ethnocentric being, I assumed that General Zod had become an official by his own will. Instead, he was bred to assume that role in Kryptonian society. Crazy, no?

General Zod played by Michael Shannon

The interesting thing is, humans kind of did that too. Throughout human history, there have been people raised to think or expected that they can only be a certain way, or have a certain occupation. Children growing up to take on the family business, young men attending a seminary because it was expected of the family to produce a priest, young women marrying for the sake of the family's reputation and/or finances. Although the circumstances are different, the principle is similar.

What about the Christian concept of Free Will. Do humans have free will? If not, are we not toy-things of a higher being? If yes, are not we in control of our destinies and therefore higher beings? There are so many questions one could ask!

Towards the end of the film, Superman tells a government official, "I'm here to help, but only on my own terms." That, to me, sums up the human experience. We provide ourselves in whatever capacity we can, when we want to. We offer up our individual talents to each other on a daily basis and it is all interwoven into an ever-changing world. Ultimately, no one can force us to be anything we are not. Therein lies our power as humans.