Tribute to a superhero (part 1)

Here’s a fun fact: 2014 marks the 75th anniversary since the creation of the superhero Batman. As a tribute, I want to devote this blog installment and the next one to stating certain lessons (in no particular order) that Batman teaches us. There are more, but these are the highlights of things that I’ve picked up on being a fan of this superhero for many, many years.

#1: Possess strong ethics

If Batman teaches us anything it’s that it is vitally important to have ethics. Batman chooses to never take a life. This choice has consequences: for one thing, you are destined to fight the same villains over and over again. For instance, some have raised the question why Batman doesn’t just kill his archenemy the Joker. After all, the Joker has murdered numerous people, and yet, Batman never takes the Joker’s life. Why?

Batman himself answers this in the animated film: “Batman: Under the Red Hood”. I’m paraphrasing but essentially he believes that to end the Joker’s life would be the easy way out. And furthermore, if he were to do so, it would change him to the point that Batman would begin to murder any of his enemies. Thus he chooses to never cross that line. He chooses to have strong ethics.

#2: Be committed to your life mission

Bruce Wayne, alias Batman, is an extraordinary man with many exceptional gifts. I agree with Arthur Ashe who states in his book “God on the Streets of Gotham” that Bruce could turn some heads at the latest NFL combine and then go and win big on the game show “Jeopardy”. Ashe nails it. I would add that Bruce could make a name for himself as an escape artist. Or with his brilliant mind, he could thrive as a lawyer.

But the simple fact of the matter is this: none of these avenues are his life's mission. Bruce Wayne knew what his life mission would be when his parents were senselessly murdered right in front of him when he was a young boy. He vowed to spend the rest of his life bringing any and all criminals to justice. His life mission is to protect the citizens of Gotham, and as he put it in the film, “Batman Forever” to “ensure what happened to me would never happen to anyone else again.”

#3: Surround yourself with allies

I personally don’t understand why Batman has the reputation for being a loner. As I see it, Batman is not a loner. Granted, he may be selective with who he chooses as his friends and allies, but he is not loner. Consider the fact that he has allies like his faithful butler, Alfred, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Commissioner Gordon, Superman and the rest of the members of the Justice League, Lucius Fox (who was an invaluable ally in the Christian Bale Batman movies), and on and on we could go with the list.

Most of the people that I’ve just mentioned know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. He could go to any of them and share the struggles of his life with them, if he chose. By contrast, Spider-Man (another great superhero) in most storylines has to deal with his double life all alone. Yes, he also has friends and family, but he can’t confide his escapades as Spider-Man with them. This makes his superhero duties twice as challenging.

To be continued!

Kevin