What Would Batman Do?

Batman what would batman doI’ve recently had to deal with some unpleasantness, and in conjunction with that make a few decisions. When discussing some of these choices with a long-time friend, he brought up that I might want to let certain things go in order to possibly have the situation resolve quicker and go away.

I half jokingly asked him, “What would Batman do?”  And while my Batman comment contained a thin veil to lighten the topic, it held some truth in that I believe it can be beneficial to look to certain role models, fictional and real, when making difficult choices. I wrote about this in my first book, Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks* when I discussed how thinking about my boyhood hero Tarzan and my Dad helped me through certain situations. I also look to other mentors, heroes, and various fictional characters to help with decisions at times. If it helps and works, why not?

My friend reminded me that Batman was a bachelor, which is an important consideration. We must always remember that the choices we make may effect others than just ourselves. And while you may be prepared to face the consequences of your decisions, are your friends and family?

With that said, I do believe that we must stand by principles at times, even if doing so is inconvenient, more difficult, or even at times dangerous. If we let certain things slide because it is easier, what is that doing to us inside? What if the person or group that we let get by does something worse to the next person?  At the same time, I agree that we need to choose our battles and some things are just not worth it. And you are the only one person who knows what is worth it to you.

I struggled with this some in my novel “Lost Conscience: A Ben Baker Sniper Novel.” The hero, Ben Baker, had an internal struggle with doing what he felt was right versus what was illegal. I also had him asking himself what good was the military and martial art training if he didn’t use it to right wrongs that he found. He also struggled with the thoughts of if he didn’t do anything, who would suffer next.

So you see, these are things I think about, and when things happened in my own life, the prior thinking made my choices easier. Not that I chose the easiest alternative, I didn’t, but the choice was easier to make because I’ve thought about what I stand for and what is right to do.

I think all of us that train in martial arts, or warrior arts if you will, must also spend time thinking about and determining what we stand for. And we must stand up to injustices and do the right thing. It’s not always easy, but we are not training to take the easy way out.

And if it helps, ask yourself, “What would Batman do?”

 

* The Revised and Expanded edition of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School Of Hard Knocks is in its final proof review and will be released in paperback in the next couple of weeks, and in Kindle shortly after that.

 

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