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A Hero, according to Merriam-Webster, is a man
admired for his achievements and noble qualities.
Last July 14, in an exclusive
press screening at the SM IMAX, I saw this season’s latest
blockbuster, The Dark Knight. And as everyone would agree, arguably
the greatest protagonist of all time definitely fits the above
description.
Yet, I realized, nowhere in the
definition does it state that to qualify as a hero, one must be the
good guy.
I was on the edge of my seat with
all the exhilarating action scenes and visual effects, but the best
thing about the movie lies in the profound thoughts that made me
conceive images beyond what was on the screen.
Heath Ledger may not be around
anymore, but he lives up to his own portrayal of The Joker, by
allowing us to see that there is more to this character than simply
being a deranged villain.
Unlike most criminals, The Joker
was anything but average. Therefore, to engage in combat with him,
Bruce Wayne sought advice from his butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Not
motivated by money or any other superficial jaunt, The Joker was
impossible to subdue. ‘Some people just want to see the world
burn.’
If there’s one thing The Joker
said that would summarize everything I’ve learned from him, it is:
‘It’s not always about the money; it’s about sending the
message.’ And this is how he had stood out above the rest. Many of
us become motivated by extrinsic things such as money, fame or
acceptance, when we know deep down that is not what matters most to
us. It is what matters to other people. That is the tragedy: We
never get to rise above the herd and achieve what we really want for
fear of being branded as “freaks” that are different from the
rest.
Also, in an attempt to define
ourselves by striving to achieve the things we want, we have to
reach a certain degree of madness. Such may come in the form of
keeping your composure despite everyone else’s criticisms. As my
hero would put it, ‘Madness is like gravity; all it takes is a
little push.’ A lot of us fail in pushing ourselves towards our
limits that we cower inside, afraid that we might reach the end of
the rope without Batman to rescue us. For me, never knowing what
heights I could have reached because I was afraid is worse than
dying.
I especially loved the way The
Joker’s twisted mind works. He filled one cruise liner with
innocent citizens, and then the other with Gotham City’s
criminals. Each only had until midnight to pull the trigger that
will cause the other ship to explode. This made me think of the
moral fiber of man: Who are you to determine another person’s
fate? Who are you to take a life, even if he is a criminal? The
scene of the two ships made me think of the way man is situated in
this world. And the Joker proved that no one is God—no one can put
another’s life in his own hands.
Of course, neither of the two
ships knew that the other merited death; Batman said that such was
the testament that the people are naturally good. If The Joker
didn’t pull this trick, then the goodness of the people might have
never come out; they would never have realized their own ability to
rationalize and stay humane.
Like The Joker, we mustn’t be
afraid to be immersed in our own worlds. For only “freaks” have
eyes that can see what most people cannot. They have the strength to
do what other people would not. Unlike most people who will always
dwell in the gray areas, who recognize neither victory nor defeat,
“freaks’ will not scuttle away like the rest when the last
stronghold falls. They stand their ground.
And perhaps, the final testament
to The Joker’s greatness is the fact that he revealed who the
district attorney, Harvey Dent, really was. At first, he was seen as
the benevolent hero. But then, Heroism is not what you have when
things are in your hands. It’s when things slip and shatter that
determines if you will keep your hero status, or let your weakness
burn you enough to reveal that you are a bad guy after all.
If it hadn’t been for The
Joker, Batman would never be a hero. The real heroes are people like
the Joker, who gamble themselves to buoy others up. Sadly, in this
country, many people pretend to be Batman, with their ostentatious
and privileged lifestyles, while the real heroes succumb into the
sidelines, forever being scarred as the villain.
In my City, The Joker rules the
streets.
apotheosis.multiply.com/ marylaine_viernes@manilatimes.net
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