"Run Barry, RUN!"
The Flash and running through life.
Barry Allen. The fastest man alive. Well, that’s how he’s typically introduced in his comics. More commonly known as, “The Flash.”
With his connection to the speed force he can tap into and run near (or sometimes faster) the speed of light.
When he runs he generates energy and creates sparks of lightning around him.
He runs so fast he has to create a suit that can withstand air friction to prevent catching fire.
(I promise this isn’t just a post to nerd out about The Flash.)
The point of The Flash as a superhero is that he can run. And he can run fast.
Each nemesis he comes across eventually gets bested by Barry (or Wally, or Jay, or Bart, or one of the other many people who become The Flash… there are a lot).
The Flash wins by being faster. By running faster.
Someone usually iterates something like, “Barry! To stop this [generic enemy] you’re going to need to run faster than you’ve ever ran before! You’ll need to run as fast as [generic thing that’s really fast]. So… Run Barry! RUN!”
Sometimes he runs in a circle to create a tornado. Sometimes he runs and abruptly stops to shoot generated lighting energy out of his hands. Sometimes he runs fast enough to run across the ocean, or up a building. Sometimes he simply vibrates his body at a fast enough frequency to phase through walls. Sometimes he runs faster than light to travel through time.
Sometimes he runs because he doesn’t know what else to do. And for The Flash… it usually works.
But… I am not The Flash. I don’t have any supernatural ability to connect to a “speed force” and outrun anything that comes my way.
And yet. That’s all I can do right now. Run.
Because right now it takes everything I have to keep going. To keep moving forward. To keep pursuing whatever it is that comes next.
I’m running.
Because right now it takes everything I have to avoid it. To keep moving away. To keep far from whatever darkness is after me.
I’m running like I’ve never ran before and sometimes it’s not enough.
Because I’m not Barry Allen. I am not The Flash.
I am tired. I am tired of running.
My lungs are on fire. My abdomen is cramping. My ankles are swollen. My throat is irritated. My head is pounding. My heart can’t keep a steady rhythm.
But I keep running.
Because I’m not strong enough to stop and fight it on my own. Not like this.
So I keep running. Until someone or something can help me.
It sucks. I hate running. If I had my way I’d turn around and fight head on. But I know I can’t.
I am not The Flash.
But. Even though I don’t have superpowers… Barry and I are not too different in other ways.
Barry (and The Flash) is supported, encouraged, guided, and most importantly… loved by his family.
The other Flashes (Wally, Bart, Jay) and his other “normal” friends, Iris, Caitlin, Jonnie, Jesse, etc. all come together to be why Barry runs. They are why he’s able to keep going. To keep running faster and faster.
(I didn’t even mention the Justice League… with likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all seeing Barry as an equal a friend, a brother… but that’s for another time.)
The Flash isn’t fast just because of his power alone. He’s fast because he relies on his team—his family.
I’ve been running this race alone. And I’m starting to fall behind. So maybe I should take a page out of a Flash Comic… and let my team help me.
“I’ve learned that when life knocks you down, you don’t get up alone. You get up together.” — The Flash #199 (2003)
“We all have our own speed, our own timeline. I just have to trust mine.” — The Flash (Vol. 5) #1 (2016)
(I couldn’t decide which quote I liked more… so enjoy both. And keep running your race, friends.)