The Dark Knight

For the longest while, I had made my phone background this pretty sweet shot of a light shining through a bare tree that was coated in ice from freezing rain. It was a nice picture and had a cool effect. Puns intended. This was a switch I had made from a previous background which was of something that I had once longed for, but let's not open that can of worms right now.

This is said picture of the iced tree. I took this with my phone, so who's to say that phone cameras are bad? And for those who say Android is way inferior to Apple (as part of one of those ongoing and neverending wars similar to console wars) this was shot on a Samsung Galaxy S9. Just figured I'd mention that 😁

Anyways, after having that as my background for say 2 months or so, well just short of 2 months anyhow, I had begun to get a bit tired of that as my background. Not because it's displeasing to the eye or anything, but just that it doesn't really have any weight to it. There's not really a connection to me in some way, no matter how distant, aside from the fact that I took the picture. But I'm no photographer and this was just a lucky shot.

I didn't want to revert back to the picture of my Facebook profile, which should be the same picture you can see on this blog, of me imitating Keanu Reeves doing the "you're breathtaking" pose on my 20th birthday. And since I have a Batman themed phone case (just a RhinoShield SolidSuit customized with the text of "BATMAN", and then have the Liberty Batman batsymbol painted on it by my sister), I figured to pair the background with a nice Batman one.

If for nothing else than matching themes, I like it because I see the phone background all the time. Whether it be my lock screen or my home screen (when I change the background, I change both for some reason but I just like it like that), I will see the Batman. Or in this case the silhouette of the Batman.

Now aside from me just really liking Batman, I paired the symbolic message/idea in my mind of me escaping and breaking free of the prison pits of darkness inside of me. To rise up and become a better person. To be worthy of the mantle of Dark Knight and to climb out of darkness into a new life and into a new day.

As I see the Batman on the daily basis, I am reminded that if I want to call myself the Batman, I need to be heroic in all sorts of manners. Not to say I need to go out and purposely find heroic stunts to do, but more so of the idea to do the right thing, to be better, to not stoop down if someone tries to strike a low blow. To just better myself so as to make myself better. That was redundant but the idea is to rise. Like my post the other day, "Deshi Basara", I need to rise. I don't want to wallow in my pain and in my darkness. I want to rise. I want a chance to reclaim the mantle of the Dark Knight. To be the hero that someone might need. To be the friend that people deserve. To be the man I was designed to be. I know my dark side is not the way I was supposed to be, not forever anyways. So I'll remind myself through my favorite superhero that I have a choice: I can choose to stay in my darkness, where I have been comfortable for so many years. Or I can choose to climb out and become a better person. To become a man. To become the Batman.

All in all, I might be stretching out this idea way too far. I might be obsessing over the Batman again, but as long as I don't idolize the Batman, I don't think it matters how I motivate or gamify the way I improve myself. If it takes the fantastical ideas of becoming a silent guardian then so be it. If it takes the dreams of being a watchful protector, then let me be. If it takes the desire to become a dark knight, then let me journey.

This is my new phone background. Sleek, but menacing with the silhouette. To be imposing upon my darkness. To have a symbol of hope. To have the strength and courage to change the things that I have the opportunity to change. All I need to do is go.

This is day one of the rebirth of the Batman.