“Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up” — Alfred Pennyworth, Batman Begins. There’s no denying that even without alien powers or elemental manipulation, Batman has the power and determination (plus A LOT of notable equipment) to overcome any conflict and just because you might not have the power to climb over your obstacles so easily, doesn’t mean it’s going to keep you down there in the dirty, rotten hole that you’re suffering in. Get ready to face the bats as The Dark Knight meets life.
SPOILER WARNING: I’ll be mentioning events from Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of Batman so if you haven’t watched any them yet, shut this blog down, turn your laptop off or leave it on if you’re going to stream it online, and watch this trilogy. RIGHT. THIS. SECOND!!! And if you think I’m referring to everything in Batman’s universe, I’m only referring to Nolan’s trilogy so PLEASE don’t geek out on me.
Bruce Wayne, or Batman if you aren’t familiar, has suffered through an incredibly devastating series of losses, battles, and conflicts in The Dark Knight trilogy. Signature villains like Ra’s al Ghul and Scarecrow have birthed the Bat into the horrid streets of Gotham in Batman Begins. The Joker and Two-Face have pushed the Caped Crusader to his limits in The Dark Knight and in the epic conclusion to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, Bane and Catwoman have proved to be Batman’s greatest adversary yet in physical battle, mental manipulation and intellectual competition.
If you have watched the movies, you NEED to agree with me on this before I go any further: the villains had better moments than Batman himself. Ra’s al Ghul was Liam Neeson. Enough said. Scarecrow was creepy. Joker was A LOT more memorable than Batman. Two-Face was excellent in character change. Catwoman was deceitfully charming and admit it: Bane was a complete boss.
It isn’t just Batman’s villains that have temporarily destroyed him. Batman’s parents were killed right in front of him when he was a kid. At least Superman wasn’t there to experience Krypton blowing up. BRUCE WATCHED HIS PARENTS DIE!
Anyway, Bruce’s dearly beloved childhood friend, Rachel Dawes, was killed by The Joker in a maniac plan in The Dark Knight and in that same event birthed Two-Face, the monster that was once Harvey Dent. Talia, the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, toyed with Bruce’s heart until she destroyed it. The city he protects is in constant suffering and has even denied the masked hero that has over-watched Gotham.
Yet there he is, charging into a new battle against his infamous adversaries, tackling the tough streets of Gotham like he was born to fight and he barely breaks a sweat.
You and I come from different books and our stories are never going to be the same. Your life could be a thousand times better or worse than mine but the reality is that you have a cave filled with bats: fears, losses, scars, aches. Each of those menacing bats is staring right back at you when you stare inside the cave, hoping that you’ll never get to embrace what is hidden inside that cave by stepping through. All of those painful memories, moments, they’re keeping you on the edge and you’re only left thinking about what you could be when you enter. The fact about the bats in your cave is that they’ll only go away when you confront them. So begins your journey inside the cave of suffering:
School problems like homework and friends? Take a break from difficult homework and try not to over-stress because that won’t do any good for you. Socialize with your other friends instead of your current list because too much of something isn’t the best option. If you’re struggling with an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or love someone who is addicted, visit a site like http://www.lastdoor.org/calgary-addiction-rehab-services/, talk to a counselor at school or your parents, someone that is going to offer you help. Someone very special to me once told me that if you’re depressed, there’s no helping for anyone but to give you a reason to stay alive. So here’s my reason: take a read at my friend Richard’s post about depression by clicking https://youthareawesome.com/message-depression/, follow the links he’s given in his post and enjoy what he’s posted because I do believe that his post takes on a sensitive topic and delivers it excellently.
To the reader and my fellow YAA bloggers, I challenge you this week to step into your cave and free your bats. It can be something simple, such as overcoming your stress from school work by taking a break every now and then. If you’re an addict or you know someone who is, today is the first day of your new life. Take it and rebuild. And if you’re depressed, I know there is no easy way to deliver yourself from the state of mind that you’re in, so it’s ok to wait outside the cave. I’m not a hero, and I don’t expect myself to be because your story is your life, so once you’re ready, step inside. Rise.
