Reflection Cues From Batman Begins | MindfulStack

PREMISE

I’ve talked about it already in the main blog, and now you know what I think about gurus and how you can deal with other people’s judgment.

There is a reason why, in my opinion, these two issues are interlinked. A nuance that I have not explained well yet is the difference that there is, in my view, between mentors and gurus.

Let’s take the example of the Batman Begins story and then try to give some real-life examples. We will use empirical knowledge, that is, a story lived on my skin, to provide some potentially interesting teaching.

BATMAN BEGINS

What is one of the main teachings of Batman Begins? Beyond the very interesting concepts of justice and fear brought to the big screen by Christopher Nolan back in 2005, is there anything we can apply to our daily lives from the point of view of personal and, if you like, psychological growth?

Of course! In Batman Begins we see that Bruce Wayne is very confident in what he believes in.

Bruce wants to return to Gotham and fight crime, while Ra’s Al Ghul wants to raze the city to the ground to eliminate criminals and make it, albeit in a somewhat perverse way, “reborn”.

Except for a slight reeling close to the final part of the film, Bruce has no big second thoughts about his idea to save Gotham.

Although Ra’s Al Ghul tries to convince him in every way that the one he proposes is the only way, Bruce continues with great confidence to insist on his own idea.

Batman did not make his mentor a guru, he did not trust his cult of fanatics, but only himself. That’s what Batman Begins can teach us in a way, self-confidence.

REAL LIFE

Let’s get back to reality!

In real life, of course, we have a less compelling scenario. We’re not masked superheroes in a comic book, and our mentors aren’t anarchists who want to destroy an entire city, but we can draw some similarities.

How many times have you heard you say from your parents or from your oldest relatives/friends of you that the way to come about is to follow the same path that they have taken, both at work and personal level? It’s going to happen to us, especially at a young age.

Let’s be clear, their intention is always to give you a direction and help you, and it’s all done in good faith, however at some point in your life maybe you just want to put your own on it and follow your own personal vocation.

Maybe your parents are a great example for you, people from whom you have learned a lot, but you do not always agree with them on everything and have decided to take a different path from the one they have often indicated to you.

Maybe you have a relative or friend older than you, who in a way mentored you and who has accomplished himself very well on a personal level, but you do not share 100% the path that he has always suggested to you, because you do not see it as related to your character and your ideas.

Having the courage to go “against” your mentors when you think it is right is a good strategy to develop greater self-confidence and in your beliefs, perhaps even overcoming the possible fear of judgment of a person so important to you.

That obviously does NOT mean you have to do what Batman does at the end of Begins! However, when you are convinced you go your own way with determination, and you will see that you will realize yourself at your best.

What strategies have you used to develop greater security in yourself? Share your experience by commenting on this article, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

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