Today's Inspirational “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC”
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“THE DESTINY OF THE WORLD IS DETERMINED LESS BY THE BATTLES LOST AND WON THAN BY THE STORIES IT LOVES AND BELIEVES IN.”
~~ Harold Goddard (LEGENDS OF THE KNIGHT)
When I first decided to launch The New Age Nerd, of course I was filled with some amount of trepidation about how it would be embraced. Would there be other people like me, who have found inspiring strength, motivation, and a sense of ONENESS with the world of Mythology, both old and new, the same way that it has captured and informed my spiritual guidance and passion for life. From the response the site has received, I believe the answer to my question is a resounding YES!
But I recently had the privilege to watch a magnificent and quite moving documentary called ‘Legends of the Knight’ that has eternally filled in any gaps in lapsed confidence about my mission. In a relatively short running time of 1:15 minutes, it deeply and emotionally conveys the power of not only BATMAN, but many of the stories and modern myths that fill our collective consciousness and have the ability to transform our thoughts and actions toward ourselves and others in compassionate ways.
The documentary begins with a moving story from Michael Uslan, the executive producer of all of the Batman films since Michael Keaton first donned the cowl and cape back in 1988. Back in 2012 he was asked to give a speech to the graduating class of West Point. Quite an honor, not to mention quite overwhelming. He decided to frame his speech around BATMAN as he started, “ Bruce Wayne in committing to become a hero for good after watching his parents brutally murdered before his very eyes, by believing ONE person can make a difference, sacrificed his childhood to train his body and mind in becoming the BATMAN. He became a Legend, an urban warrior. Cadets of West Point, YOU ARE BATMAN!” The graduating class before him jumped out of their chairs in complete unison, high fiving one another for several minutes. Michael said it was one of the most magnificent moments of his life! A true testament to the power of modern myth in our lives!
My own childhood was fraught with strife and confusion and that is when I began to find solace in the world of WONDERLANDS from all forms of myth TV, movies, and comic books. I couldn't get enough. They inspired in me a belief life could be so much more than I was experiencing. Myth became my entry point of self realization and spirituality. In fact, Lydia Cerpa, a child family counselor was included in the documentary to express, “Stories with heroes help us in finding our true potential. When a child starts to pretend with heroes they are actually creating new neuro-pathways in the brain that create new behaviors externally and internally as well. Their brain begins to change . Hearing a story wakes up something inside of you. It can allow you to break through to your true potential by seeing alternate possibilities previously unheard of. And when you see it through a story it becomes tangible because you think that could be me.” YES! And who amongst us New Age Nerds still doesn't try and use the Force just for shits and giggles every once and a while! Be honest! LOL
Later in this fascinating exploration of the power of our modern day Heroes and Heroines there was another important explanation of this phenomenon from Jonathan Gotschall, the author of ‘The Storytelling Animal.’ He explains, “ What fascinates me about story is that we do it at all. It's spectacularly improbable that humans would be this species that spends so much of our time on Earth in fabrication realities. When I talk to my students, I ask them why do they spend so much time wrapped up in various forms of fiction? Why do we like fiction so much? They tell me it is because stories give us an escape. That life is hard and it is an opportunity to go on a short vacation from the stress and problems of everyday life. We can leave it unscathed and unchanged. But, that is EXACTLY what the research is NOT showing. The research is showing that the time we immerse ourselves in various forms of our favorite WONDERLANDS actually creates profound change in us. This change comes on an emotional, and behavioral, and psychological level. AND this can all be measured in a lab!”
We live in challenging times. Not to be fear based, but there is NO denying the amount of various forms of carnage that fills our nightly news and daily papers, websites, and blogs. This is NOT a part of our inherent nature. We are after all ‘spiritual beings having a human experience.’ I believe we are all seeking a strong paradigm shift back to the attributes we find in many of our pop cultural myths. Kindness, compassion, heroism, and respect towards all! Why do you think SUPERHEROES have become a fanatical part of our current zeitgeist after DECADES where no movie studio would touch a comic book story no matter the price.
In “Hunting the Dark Knight”, Will Brouker writes, “In popular culture there are times when anti-heroes and morally ambiguous heroes seem to be popular. But I think the pure essence of superheroes, especially BATMAN, and why we constantly come back to them is about becoming someone better. The strength and heart of BATMAN is about making a positive decision to make positive change in the world. And I think that is a heroism we can all ASPIRE to!”
The documentary is filled with a myriad of wonderful examples of persons both young and old, who have used the BATMAN myth to help inspire, propel them to unimaginable heights despite enormous physical disabilities, and generally provide them with a Heaven sent HOPE! Many of the stories brought tears to my eyes and even provided me motivation toward some of my own unfinished goals!
I appreciated the fact that although the documentary strongly focuses on the undeniable influence of BATMAN on our culture, it also touches on the importance of STORY in general as a stupendous source of collective unity, understanding, and HOPE for so many. I try and infuse The New Age Nerd with the power of STORY as often as I can as I believe, like Joseph Campbell, that our collective Story through MYTH is one of the most powerful gateways to our spiritual salvation on this planet. Essentially, we all share the same story, and if we could just learn to acknowledge this on a deeper level, I believe the level of acceptance and unity in this world would be astounding.
That's why I loved this quote in the film by David Taylor from his book ‘Tell Me a Story’.
He espouses, “ I think the greatness of seeing life through the lens of story is that I have the freedom to make real choices, I'm not determined by my biology, my gender, my history, or genes. Those are all part of the story but at the end of the day, I have a choice to make and this is the most encouraging possibility of all. You can be something other than you are if you wish to be. You can be the GREATEST VERSION of who you are.” Couldn't have said it better myself...so I won't! :0)
At the end of the day, we are all seeking ways to move through this life with GRACE, HOPE, Peace, and Joy. Us New Age Nerds get much of our inspiration and strength from the stories all around us. But there are SO many paths back to the LIGHT!
For me, BATMAN has always held a special place in my heart and soul because he is the only superhero who is actually just a man. His only real superpower is his HUMANITY. And that is something we all have access to in becoming the Greatest Versions of the Greatest Visions ever held of ourselves.
Because the truth of the matter is....... WE ARE ALL BATMAN
Nerdmaste,
Jeffrey Louis Martinez
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