Two polar opposite effects of fear that eerily mirror each other are that of Batman and Ra’s al Ghul. Both of them experience great fear during their lives, that fear imposed by similar sources. That fear comes from the criminal underground. Batman lost his parents to a criminal and it is heavily implied that Ra’s did as well. The key is in the difference between their targets. While Batman utilizes his fear to save the innocent from those criminals, Ra’s utilizes his to attempt to destroy those criminals and the ability to produce more criminals. This difference says something about the level of control that each has over their fear. Batman has enough control over his fear to retain a sense of rationality, distinguishing who is the enemy and who is the innocent. He even has a code that dictates that he cannot murder anybody, something to set him apart from that criminal underworld and ensure that he truly is making a difference. Ra’s, on the other hand, cannot distinguish the good from the bad. His fear drives him to attempt destroying the entirety of Gotham City, a completely irrational judgment call fueled by an extreme desire to ensure justice. Where does any extreme behavior come from? Extreme Christians fear God and damnation in hell. Some people starve themselves because they fear gaining weight. Extremism is born from fear, and Ra’s is different than Batman in that he doesn’t control his fear. His fear controls him, creating the extremism that births his villainous behavior.
Another way fear is examined in this movie is through the drug that Scarecrow administers to bring out peoples’ deepest fears. Not even Batman is immune to this fear, despite his control over it. Even though people control their fears, all to some degree, everybody still fears something. It may be tucked back in the depths of the mind, but it’s still there. Nobody is fearless. Fear would indeed deconstruct a society as the fear drug would have done to Gotham. Fear breeds violence, and violence is what destroys societies. Revolution or anarchy, both tear apart the political structure because violence threatens the safety of the populace and the political structure is supposed to ensure that safety. The fear drug is a way to examine what would happen if fear and panic completely overtook a populace, and the movie argues that it would completely destabilize and destroy a society.
So Batman Begins takes the notion of fear and does a fantastic job showing how it would affect people on a small and large scale. On a small scale, it can take a person and completely twist their motivation. On a larger scale, it’s far more effective, taking entire societies and civilizations and reducing them to nothing. Ra’s is fueled by fear, but we’ll soon see that not all villains share the same motivation. Some men are far less sympathetic than Ra’s. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
So how do you feel about your fears? I used to think I understood my fears. I was pretty sure I had them well wrapped and clearly identified. Then the surgery in 2009 changed that for me. After the coma, my concepts on fear changed radically. Unfortunately it isnt something that many people have any experience with, so there isnt much sympatico.
ReplyDeletewell, I can tell you what I do with my fears, I try to ignore them or avoid them. My fears aren't always well defined, they can be rather obscure.
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