Monday, November 24, 2008

Dark Knight - Bright Hope

I saw the latest Batman movie, Dark Knight, last night. I'm afraid I've gotten too old to suspend disbelief sufficiently anymore to really enjoy the popular movies (physics absurdities, etc).

Still, the film was an enjoyable, if somewhat long, 2 and a third hours.

But the ideas that infused into me, and stuck, are the following:

1) All of us have potential for good or for bad. Or perhaps more accurately, we all have good and bad within us.

2) When the best of us go bad, we go very bad. It's as if the strengths we have when we are good are then applied to evil when we turn. (Of course, the reverse is also true, case in point being Saul/Paul.)

3) Sometimes we turn bad very subtly, thinking we're doing good, never realizing we've become the bad guy, or sometimes realizing it, but self-justifying ourselves because "the end justifies the means". Even the best of us are subject to this failing. Along with this is the reminder that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

4) You must stand on principle. You can't be good 99% of the time and expect allowances for the "exceptions".

5) SPOILER ALERT - I was extremely proud of the prisoner. If you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. If not, you will when you see the movie.

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