This week on Geek Devotions, Dallas takes a look at the fragile line between Batman and Joker. How do our words cause others to become either a Joker or a Batman?
Throughout all of the villains found in Batman’s Rogues Gallery, none are more connected to the Dark Knight than The Joker. Their individual backstories are both tragic and devastating and defining. But what caused them to take the different paths? In the above devotion, Dallas brings out one major difference. People.
The life of Batman is well documented. After the tragic death of his parents, the orphaned Bruce Wayne is left in the care of his butler. This butler, Alfred, didn’t just look after Bruce and take up a paycheck. In many ways, he fathered and nurtured the young man. He spoke life into him, he raised him, he loved him.
The Joker, on the other hand, is a very similar yet different story. According to “The Killing Joke” and many other stories; we don’t really know the truth of his back story. All we can ascertain is that he went through some tragic event and then stumbled down a series of unfortunate events that caused him to develop into the deathly maniac that he is. By all rights there was no one to love him, to walk him through things, to speak life until it was too late.
There’s a line from “The Killing Joke” that perfectly sums up the fragile line between someone being a Batman and someone becoming a Joker.
All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That’s how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.
We can’t escape bad days. Everyone will have one at some point; but what effect will you have on them when they do? Seems silly to ask but what would have happened if Alfred wasn’t in the picture? Would he have become another Joker? What if someone had been there to show The Joker a glimmer of hope just before he snapped? Could he have become a Batman?
We are taught in the scriptures that our words can change the path of people’s lives. Specifically, in Proverbs we are taught something very special:
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
So be careful with what you say and how you say it. The next person you speak to be moments away from making a choice; becoming a kind of Dark Knight… or a Clown Prince of Crime.
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