MIRROR

Two Sides of Every Heroes

What makes a hero far more special than us? Why should we consider someone as a hero, and why should these heroes chosen their path as heroes? We might already know what the answers to those questions.

Comics and animation industry spawned hundreds of superhero figures  every year, perhaps even every week. But only one that matter, and everyone recognize him as Batman. For me he is the only superhero or fictional character that is close to reality, as he did not have super powers fell from the sky. Wealth seems become Bruce Wayne (Batman’s alter ego)’s only super power. Luckily, he was a rich young man. And buying any expensive yet sophisticated gadgets to support his hobby fighting against villains never been a problem.  

In the day time Bruce Wayne is a businessman, a millionaire surrounded by a lot of women and the center of media attention. In the evenings he likes to walk alone, dressed in black, standing on the roof of a tall building looking for bad people who disturb public stability.  

Why would Bruce tired catch a thief at a time when everyone is asleep? Is it because he does aspire to be a policeman since childhood like Jim Gordon, a police officer whom he met right after his parents were killed? Or, because he was a businessman and concern that chaos wasn’t good for business? Did anyone notice that this behavior close to dissociative personality disorder (or split personality disorder) symptoms as a result of childhood trauma?  

Long before Bob Kane created Batman, hundreds of years before there was a book titled Mahabharata, and we can find a lot of characters with their own personal problems in it.  

The book tells us the tale of five brothers Pandava. Among them, there was Arjuna, the hero of the brave and also handsome. But all of his strength seemed to disappear and paralyzed as his wife, Draupadi, (or his sister-in-law in Javanese version. India’s version told that she married with the Pandava brothers) publicly humiliated after Yudhistira (one of her husbands and Arjuna's brother) decide to make her as a gambling bet and he lose.  

Arjuna allegedly also experienced dissociative personality disorder, as he successfully disguised as a transvestite Brihanala for two years without being recognized by his enemies.  

From here we can conclude the similarities between these two legendary figures of a different era, sexy and rich warriors of justice in one side. While their other side could make them able to kill with no mercy, or being somebody else in the same body.    

Hope, the cause of all disasters 

When we were children, the world looks more beautiful because we did not recognize the bitterness of life and vengeance as a result of ruined relationship. We were taught to always leaning on the side of truth and became good individual, since any parent would suffer to see us as villains.   

However, the real world, again, is often the opposite of the ideal life concept that has been implanted in our brains from early age. In real life crime becomes more difficult to destroy, because the criminals always have an updated way to accomplish their mission, and always seek out new colleagues to grab their objectives. Their goal was more varied, ranging from enriching themselves, or deliberately do mischief on the orders of criminals far worse than themselves or someone else who choose to be a good person by doing evil way.  

In this kind of person's soul hidden hopes and high ideals, but he was unwilling to work hard to achieve their goals. Short and easy ways chosen also vary, ranging from selling his soul to the demon, so do sell his conscience for money. Or he might sell sensation for the sake of fame, or sell homeland natural resources to shareholders without locals permission.   
These are warnings for any parent not to put too high expectations to children, unless you can figure out their characters since the day he was born and able to keep them straight forever. We’re indeed need hope as reminder or motivation, but that's not the only thing hope can do to us.  

In our national language dictionary, the word 'hope' means the desire for something to occur. While desire is related with passion, or something we do not have today but we expect that it could be existed and ours one day. When looking at its literally mean, we can conclude that hope tend to mislead and is a burden to the core. Hoping is an intention that could drives ourselves to approach fantasy about what we do not / yet we have today and distract our ability in accepting reality.  

Believe or not, elder DC Comics fans have replaced their hero from Batman to Joker as they grown up. They said, Joker deserved to be considered as hero. What happened, are these fans insane as their idol Joker? Probably not. Simply they might just suffer prolonged despair seeing all the chaos keep coming to the world and there was never any mighty Batman came up to defeat demons.  

One reason that makes these old school fans idolized Joker is his shrewdness idea of designing a bomb that would explode Gotham City immediately. When Gotham City was destroyed, good people died, but also the bad ones, isn’t it? Law had failed in fulfilling its fate as justice of mankind guardian. So why don’t we try a new way which is more effective, easier and fun? Maybe that's what they think.   

Yes, their hopes toward a better life turned out to be mere hollow and false. Blamed local leaders and the world were meaningless and useless. Because they, the leaders, had been depressed and no longer able to hear anything other than the sound of their own voices. Regret hoping actions or activities that once we do, or regret the decision because put our hope to someone who was not capable is not enough. To avoid any disappointment in the future, there’s only one thing we can do, keep walking and do not hope anything at all.

Empty sweet talk strategy

People said, Javanese people always put a keris, Javanese traditional dagger, in their back. Why should they keep it in the back? Why not put it in the chest, or at the waist? Putting a blade in the waist did seem to be more practical as the weapon would be easier to reach. But the enemy can easily read your gesture, and burst into action to take you down.

By putting the keris in our back, our enemy wouldn't able to see whether we carry any weapon while we come in front of them face to face. What we need to do is be patient observing the enemy and decide the right moment to pull out the blade.

This strategy is completely consistent with the Javanese gentle and tend to keep the other feelings of peace to cover their disapproval. They do not hesitate to compromise, even though their heart rebelled deep inside. However, this strategy has shifted as time passing by. 

In the past people keep a keris behind their back to defend their lives. At the present time people hide their demonic face behind their back, in order to seduce a person to believe, fall in their arms, then give whatever they want.  

This empty sweet talk strategy enable some people to be seem nice and put on a smile as wide as possible to cover their sadism within. How should we recall an individual who still able to smile widely after killed hundreds of humans undoubtedly?

Ironically, this syndrome has spread to various places lately. In fiction tales, a figure use his split personality disorders as an alternative identity to fight bad people and keep himself and his loved ones safe at once. In the real world a person pretend to look like an angel, so he can adjust his evil deeds done behind the curtains.

And who is the real insane guy now? Those soul assylum inhabitants, or those nice-ish politicians and officials on television?

I finalize this article with a conclusion, confessing ourselves as literally demons seem to be more difficult than confessing ourselves as literally good people. Humans, basically want to be good. But not all of them able to find their way. Those who fail perhaps shame to admit that they are bad people. Then, they fake their habits and gestures, or put on their angelic masks. Why should one hide when no hellhound chase after them? 

There's no way we can do to fight this kind of people, except one thing. Please have a mercy on these bad guys. Perhaps we don't have a good life, but we don't need to lie about who we are. (swastantika)