Spider Man II, the motion picture, like its predecessor, continues in the tradition of the old comic books to address the questions of good and evil and the unintended consequences of Man’s relationship with machines. In the movie, the eternal philosophical dilemma is shown in Peter Parker’s struggle between what he knows is the proper thing to do and his desire for a quiet life: he has a ‘gift of great power and with that power comes responsibility’ whether he wants it or not. Parker’s life is one in which he has too many things to do that exact a severe emotional and physical toll, with the result that he does none of them very well. At end, of course, he makes the correct choices by stepping into the fray once more; he chooses to struggle for the greater good despite extreme personal discomfort.

I have never been required to make such decisions, though I know persons who have. One man I know was directed by his manager to
use his influence with former military acquaintences to sell more goods and services to the Government, even though those goods and services were unnecessary: this man made the correct moral decision; rather than be dishonest, he refused and quit his job, even
though he had no alternative job to go to. Another man I know worked for a munitions manufacturer during the Vietnam War; he
disagreed with the war and felt obliged to quit his job that supported the war-effort, even though he had no comparable job to take
its place.

Now, these two men made the correct moral decisions, following the dictates of their consciences; they suffered some uncertainty and doubt about their futures, but soon found alternative employment. Few of us are even called upon to do as much.

New Scientist magazine published, in their 26 June 2004 issue, an interview with Hussain Al-Shahristani who was the chief
scientific adviser to the Iraq Atomic Energy Commission in 1978. In 1979 he was arrested after refusing to help develop nuclear
weapons for Saddam Hussein. He was tortured in Abu Ghraib prison and spent eleven years there, ten of them in solitary confinement,
before he was helped to escape. He knew that his work would enable the killing of people in their thousands. His religious
convictions obliged him to say no to Saddam Hussein and suffer the consequences. He says that scientists have a moral obligation to
make sure that their knowledge is used for the good of humanity; scientists must consider the consequences of their research.

Removal from power of Saddam Hussein is a good event, but it is a good marred by the lies and deceit used to persuade the United
States and its allies to go to war — the end doesn’t justify the means. We in our turn have tortured persons in Abu Ghraib to extract information that would help us to further our good intentions; worse, our leadership got a legal opinion to justify use of
torture, for which there is no justification. We have succeeded in discrediting our good intentions and losing the moral high ground
— the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

What can we do to repair this damage to our good name? We should strive to greater moral awareness, something we seem to have forgotten, which brings us back to Spider Man. We should take to heart the message offered by Spider Man and make correct moral
choices in our daily interactions with others. With enough of us so doing we will effect change in the political landscape such
that we as a nation will be making a preponderance of moral rather than immoral choices. Our leadership is a reflection of
ourselves: change ourselves and we change our leadership.

When the time comes, follow the examples of Spider Man in fiction and Hussain Al-Shahristani in fact; not to mention my two anonymous acquaintences. These are the real super-heroes.