X-Men Powers

So, a few days ago my co-workers and I were talking about some of the amazing things we'd hear about people doing... like amazing hidden talents such as having an eidetic memory (photo-memory) or being able to do super crazy math problems in your head.  And one guy, who's about 25, said, "I wonder what my amazing thing is.  I mean, I'd like to know what my X-Men power is.  I don't think I have one."  Of course, whenever he says something, serious or not, he sounds hilarious.  So we all giggled, but inwardly, we're all asking the same question.

I guess being able to do something special makes us feel more special? More important? More deserving of attention? I don't know what it is, but this guy and I have a few things in common: we grew up in the same suburban, Northern Virginia county; fairly affluent parents, complete with a semi-estranged relationship with our fathers; had to take time off from college and are now trying to finish... maybe it's those things that give us some sense of security (a safety net?) and a slight sense of failure.  Okay, I'm not going to speak for him, but there's definitely some contradiction here, and I, for one, would like to escape the conditional safety net of my parents (they will support me as long as they can tell me who and what I am) while at the same time making them proud.  Hmmm.

And so, the solution is x-men powers.  The ability to do something do amazing that people are willing to overlook any faults/flaws.  Maybe I'm thinking too much into this.  Or maybe it's personal consolation because if we can find one truly awesome thing about ourselves, maybe we can stop thinking about all the petty crap in our lives.