~
Deep down, I do believe we all love BATMAN. BATMAN is the one of the most popular characters in the history of the entire world, with the Bat Symbol being one of the most recognized symbols upon the face of the entire planet. It is more recognizable than the Cross (just to make my point clear). And BATMAN, though perhaps primarily concocted in the Mindscape of Bob Kane and Bill Finger 85 years ago, has metamorphosed, evolved, and adapted without end, as he’s penetrated into the MYTHOLOGY of our day, being firmly embedded into the Collective Psyche; his life, story, and legacy known throughout the entire world, as he battles ever onward in his Mission for Truth and Justice with unflinching courage, resilience, and power against the Night.
And in this, BATMAN has become REAL for all of us.
As a Collective Symbol, he is no mere superhero.
What happens to BATMAN matters. What BATMAN does matters. And in this blog, I’m about to show you why.
You see, I have a unique involvement with the BATMAN, sharing something in common with literally thousands of individuals throughout his stories…
BATMAN saved my life.
I was only five years old… this cold winter night tragedy struck. And though it wasn’t the first time … it was the worst.
I escaped from my abusers, fleeing quickly from the basement door. I leaped into the cherry tree, hopped the fence, and sprinted, sprinted, sprinted… until my legs nearly gave out beneath me. I desperately searched for any option… any option at all other than returning home. But as dusk set in, and the frigid cold seized my bones, I knew I had reached a dead end.
There was no escape. What could I do? I was five years old. I was trapped.
When I finally came home, I slipped quietly into my room through the basement window well. I was in complete panic. I didn’t know what to do. I could barely handle the extreme anxiety I was experiencing. I had no clue how to deal with the gravity of my situation.
Almost instinctually, I turned on the television… and to a great sigh of relief, found Batman and Robin on the Otherside. The episode was ‘The Cat and the Fiddle’ (1966), and though uttered nearly 25 years before this moment, Burt Ward‘s dialogue started in at total synch with my own inner monologue.
” Robin: That was the closest call we’ve ever had, Batman. I have to admit, I was scared.
Batman: I had no fear whatsoever, Robin.
Robin: You didn’t?
Batman: Not a bit. Haven’t you noticed how we always manage to escape the vicious ensnarements of our underhanded opponents? Don’t you know why?
Robin: Because we’re smarter than they are.
Batman: I prefer to believe it’s because our hearts are pure.”
And it was then I realized BATMAN’s superpower. It wasn’t his immense wealth, his incredible intellect, his unwavering commitment, nor his intense training that were his anchor, it was his purity… And it was this… intimate Pearl of Wisdom, that saved me that night.
This… an oft neglected fact… a Truth neglected, especially in our Modern World.
BATMAN continued showing up for me throughout my life. And through many of my greatest ordeals… situations that seemed impossible, I could always rely on BATMAN to see me through.
For how e’er dark the night, the BAT guided still – through subtle vibrations, soft as a sweetest whisper – e’en Music unheard… amidst the roses ‘neath the cypresses oV – the Misty, Mystic Woods.