WHY DO WE FALL?
My
young son was insistent that I should watch the first two editions of
Christopher Nolan’s trilogy on ‘The Batman’. So, at home, he arranged to screen
for me, along with his own authentic commentary, the first two Batman classics –
‘The Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’.
Yes, I had missed both of them
when they were first released. This time, I truly enjoyed the ‘Super-hero’
drama… I was, particularly, overwhelmed by the genius of the filmmaker –
Christopher Nolan… his convictions, his vision, his grit and his stupendous hold
on the medium. And, of course, his infectious passion. It left me speechless… Inspired!
So, this morning, I watched, along
with my son, the last edition of the trilogy – ‘The Dark Knight Rises’… Where
else?
You need to watch it only on a
giant screen at IMAX, parked yourself on one of the top-most seats!
I could realize the reason why my
young son had gone all way out to watch the very first show on the very first
day at 7 in the morning! Today, he was still excited to watch it, for the third
time, yes with his father… at 7 am!
I was happy that he had showed me,
with all the graphic details, the first two. So, this morning, I was easily
able to glide through the storyline.
Outstanding stuff! A great
experience!
Well,
as Christopher Nolan keeps reminding us in his three movies, any of us can be a
‘Super-hero’!
Yes, any of us – with the capacity
to fear, bleed, cry, get angry… feel loved, lost and betrayed… yes, any of us,
the ordinary, fallible humans – can become, do have the capacity to become, a
‘Super-hero’ like the Batman.
And, it doesn’t really matter what
mission, in life, we will accomplish as a ‘Super-hero’… But, it does matter, we
take up a cause of larger-good. That’s all it is.
It does matter
that we beat our
own fears…
turn our anger into
something very constructive
and life-enhancing…
It does matter that we have some
good souls around us to support us in our missions… It is their faith in us,
their constant reminders as to who we truly are… Yes, it does matter.
In the entire trilogy of the Batman
movies, one such soul is Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s (Batman’s) family butler… who
loved, nursed and guided Bruce Wayne to his great powers… It is someone like
this simple soul, who remains present in our lives, constantly reminding us to
rise-up and soar again… over and over again.
“Why do we fall, Master Wayne?” he
gently inspires his prodigy – right from the day the little boy falls in the
deep pit and gets permanently scarred with the fear of darkness and bats. Yes,
he strokes the little boy, Bruce Wayne, with the answer, as well: “So that we
can learn to pick ourselves up!”
The Batman falls again and again
and again… But, he rises too again and again and again. Yes, he returns holding
us hopes, to inspire us to soar beyond our threshold limits.
I am happy Alfred reminded about
this simple mystery of our existence not only to Bruce Wayne, his prodigy… but,
he did it to me, too!
It doesn’t matter, in life, what
our missions are… It doesn’t, really, matter what we are trying to save –
whether the city of Gotham
or our own souls – as long as we keep picking ourselves up…
Yes, each time we fall!
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pics.: Ronald Fernandes
Comments
Tarun