Inspiring words from another Kevin

For many superhero fans, myself included, Kevin Conroy is the definitive version of Batman.  Back in November, he passed away from cancer at age 66.  I confess I’ve shed several tears at this news.  Because, as someone put it in their tribute of Kevin online, when Kevin Conroy died it was like Batman himself died (I couldn’t find the link again, but just know that this eloquent thought didn’t originate from me).  In my opinion, Kevin Conroy’s legacy is bringing the character and nobility of Batman to life; for three decades, he gave his voice to the famous superhero with authenticity.

Recently, I came across a you tube video of tribute to Kevin Conroy.  It was Kevin expounding on why the character of Batman is so intriguing to us.  It’s clear to me that Kevin Conroy understood the essence of the character of Batman.  My birthday is this month; since my last birthday, I have lived through very difficult days.  Because of this, I found myself resonating with what Mr. Conroy presented.

One last thing before we dive in.  The citing of this man’s words today does not imply that I agree with Kevin Conroy on everything he ever said or did.  Even here, he speaks of fate, a notion I don’t believe in.  Incidentally, the video is titled “Thank you, Kevin Conroy” by a you tuber under the name “Mr. M.”  You can find the video and Kevin’s words here at this link.  With that long intro complete, let’s finally get started.

"Of all the superheroes, he’s the only one that’s not a superhero. There’s nothing supernatural about Batman, you know what I mean?  He can’t fly.  He can’t see through walls.  He’s a man.  He’s a human being.  But not only is a human being, he’s a very flawed human being.  He knows he’s flawed.  He’s been damaged by life.  So it makes Batman that much more relatable because he’s so much like us, in a way. 

What distinguishes him is that no matter what life throws at him, no matter what crisis, or challenge, or failure, he never lets it crush him…he takes that pain that life throws at him and he turns it into something positive.  And he gives it back to the world as love.  Because his whole mission is to leave the world better than he found it.  And it’s the nobility of that mission, that’s what we admire so much about him.  But that’s something we all can aspire to in our lives, you don’t have to have superpowers to want to give to those in your life, to want to leave the world a better place; all you have to do is care enough to try, care enough to want to. 

Everybody on this planet stumbles at one time or another, but that’s not what defines us.  What defines us is how we get back up, and learn from our mistakes; and get back into life and contribute.  You have no control over what fate throws at you…life throws curveballs at everybody.  But what you do control is how you react to those curveballs; you can let them crush you and make you bitter, or you can learn from them, and take that knowledge and get back into life."

God bless,

Kevin