Batman: The individual rises

I was pleasantly surprised when I recently went to go see the new Batman movie. I knew it would be good, because I had liked the previous two, but I was shocked and stunned to see such a great philosophy behind the new movie, and one that is much needed at this time.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is the ultimate individual vs collectivist concept. It was the individuals who stood out in the movie, not the collective. Batman, the commissioner, cat-woman, Bain, Robin, they all stood out and played defining roles. The mob was eventually crushed, because their leader was gone. The city ravaged itself for weeks because no one stood up against it. Once the individuals rose, the battle was on, and the good guys prevailed.

The same can be said about society. Whenever an injustice occurs, the collective either ignores it, tampers it down, or exploits it for a political purpose. This mob is stopped when individuals stand up against it. That is why I wrote about David and Goliath last week. It is always the individual who saves the day and  rules supreme. That is why the best movies always enshrine the individual and his philosophy.

Movies such as Pale Rider, where one man rescues the town, when the collective are too scared to defend themselves.

And gladiator, where one man defies an empire and becomes more powerful than the emperor of Rome:

In the book ‘The hero with a thousand faces’, it is always the individual who goes off into the forest, and who goes on the hero’s journey. It is not a collective or group of people. To become a hero, you must motivate yourself, invest in yourself, and be yourself. You must not let others stand in the way, and you must go off and do what you need to do.

The legends of the past and present are all individuals, they become more than men. They face their fears and rise to levels they never thought possible before. This always starts with the mind. Mindset is everything. If you do not have the will and determination to succeed, you will fail. You must prepare yourself to face anything, and educate yourself to a higher level than others.

As for the movie, I absolutely loved watching it. It was a pure treat to see such a well put together movie with such a meaningful mythology and philosophy behind it. If you haven’t already seen it, go out and watch the movie for yourself!