If you could select one superpower, what would it be?

It's been a very interesting question, asked a lot in Facebook groups or on pages.

For the sake of keeping it short, let's only consider controlling the 4 main elements of nature; air, earth, fire and water.

When you think about it, each of these elements can be destructive, and constructive. Air contains oxygen which is necessary for living, on the other hand, too much of air (cyclones/tornadoes) can be destructive. Water is a necessity for most living things, but then, too much water, in the form of a flood or tsunami, is destructive. Earth is a surface that we can walk on. Without it, we would just keep falling. Actually, we would just float in air, but that's a topic for another day. However, "faults" in Earth can lead to earthquakes which can result in tsunamis and floods.

But, when you consider fire, you realize that fire can cause destruction even if it's in a small quantity. Fire spreads and even a small fire can turn into a huge one and ultimately burn cities to the ground. Which is why, in my opinion, fire is the most destructive.

However, that's not the only reason for choosing fire. If you think about it, earth, water and air are necessities, fire is a luxury (read the third paragraph). Of course, you can't cook without fire, but, cooking itself is a luxury. We can eat raw fruits and vegetables, we'll still get the necessary nutrients. But, we want a better taste, so we cook it, hence, fire is a luxury. Fire also provides warmth, another reason why it's a luxury. Fire is the reason we can drive vehicles, another luxury.

Even if you look at it from a mythological point of view, fire was always held in high regard. Prometheus was a Titan (Greek mythology) who was known to give several gifts to mankind. One of them was the nourishing part of cows (or beef). But, all of this went unpunished by Zeus, the King of Gods. However, when Prometheus stole fire from Mount Olympus (the residence of Gods) and gave it to mankind, Zeus eternally punished Prometheus. Fire was God's greatest gift to humanity.

But, the uniqueness of fire remains constant throughout the argument. If I was to possess the power of controlling water, I would be able to breathe and stay dry underwater (by controlling the water in a definite way). If the element in question was earth, I would still be able to change the hardness of the earth to survive a fall (though the fall itself might kill me). Similarly, controlling the air, I would be able to fly, and remain unharmed in a hurricane etc.

But fire is a tricky element. No matter how precise I am with controlling fire, if my body isn't immune to heat, I wouldn't be able to effectively use fire. Because, just being near a fire is enough to feel the heat and if my body can't withstand it, controlling the flame is a useless ability.

So, if I was to choose a superpower, I wouldn't choose controlling fire. However, if I was to choose two superpowers, I would choose controlling fire and immunity to heat.

Which element would you like to control?