Are you a Batman?

 WARNING: This post does NOT contain spoilers for TDKR...except for a line from the movie...but that's it I SWEAR.

    
     My mind goes in weird directions some days and they just stick with me. One weird thought I've had is, "Am I a Batman?" And I don't mean, "Do I have the skills to kick criminal butt?" (In case you were wondering, yes, I do.) What I mean is, am I willing to sacrifice things for others, including my enemies?

     Enemy is defined by dictionary.com as "A person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent." In other words, enemies are people continually working against you to bring you down. This can count towards, siblings, parents, random people, drug lords, etc. but this only counts if they are CONTINUALLY trying to knock you over or stand in your way. It's a game. Your opponent is working against you to beat you. Not sometimes, ALL the time. That's the difference between a person who OCCASIONALLY annoys you and your enemy. One does it all the time, the other sometimes.

     You probably see where I'm going with this by now. Batman sacrificed everything for his friends AND his enemies...people who hated him and wanted him behind bars. But, there's something deeper then that.
     Are you ready for it? It's pretty heavy stuff? You sure?

He LOVED them. 

 

      That's what sacrifice is.Willing to give up everything, including your life, for people you love and care for. I mean, you cannot sacrifice for someone, if you don't love them. Would you be ready to sell everything you had in order to send money to some guy you hate who burned his house down because he was drunk? Of course not! It all has to do with the heart and whether you truly love that person or not. I ask myself this question daily with everything from "should I share my iPad" to "should I not play a video game today because my sister hasn't all week" to "maybe I shouldn't make meatloaf today since everyone but me hates it". 

    

      It wasn't until recently that I really started to think about how much I was willing to sacrifice. 

      

     July 20. A gunman sneaks into the midnight showing of TDKR in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58. Hearing about this the day after the shooting made me sick to my stomach. I thought a lot of horrible things about that man, things I shouldn't have thought. But I was angry. How could this happen? Why? What the heck was he thinking when he stormed into the theaters, armed with three different types of guns and smoke grenades? Such questions will probably never really be answered...and I don't know if I want them to. 

     

     Then I started to think; what would I do if I was in that theater? Would I push my friends and family out of the way and try and get out? Would I drop to the floor, trying to dodge the shooters bullets? Would I stay with my group and help others try to get out? Would I protect someone? Would I be like this young man, ready to lay down my life for the one I loved? My heart tells me I would gladly lay down my life for the people around me. 

     But what if it was someone who I didn't like? What if it was someone you had hurt me in the past and hated my guts. What if this person was my enemy? (personally, I don't KNOW if I have any enemies...I'm kind of oblivious in that way) This isn't so much a question for me as it is for you? What would you do? Do you love your enemies? Do you show them kindness when they spit in your face? From a Christian perspective,they are my brothers and sisters in Christ and my answer is yes. I do. And I am willing to lay down my life for them. 

     In TDKR, Selina Kyle speaks with Batman before he goes to face Bane, the films antagonist. 

     "You don't owe these people anymore," she whispers through gritted teeth, "You've given them everything." 

     After a pause, Batman replies, "Not everything...not yet." 

     My absolute favorite verse in the bible is John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

     Now, I may not be able to rock the cape and cowl very well;

      But I can be a Batman...

.....or better yet, I can be like Christ, who came into this world, knowing full well he was to be crucified for his friends AND his enemies. Christ, who was perfect in every way, came down and died for me, that I might have everlasting life. If you hate Christ, you are enemy to him and God. But guess what? HE DIED FOR YOU TOO! He sacrificed his life FOR YOU! He has a place prepared for those who have accepted his gift. He has a place for those who know full well why he sacrificed himself. He loves you and he wants you to come home with him when you die. I cannot begin to comprehend that, and you probably won't be able to either. Sacrifice. It cannot be done without love. 

So are you ready? Think you're up to the challenge? 

 Are you a Batman?

A world without children...

     Once upon a time, there was a town that was overrun with rats. The townsfolk had tried everything to get rid of the rats; cats, traps, and exterminators, but nothing worked. They were just about to give up hope, when a stranger entered into the scene and claimed he could rid the town of rats...permanently. Desperate, the people agreed, but promised to pay AFTER the rats were disposed of. With that, the Piper put his pipe to his lips and began to play.
     Soon, rats began to come out, intrigued by the music. They followed the Piper, trying to get to the music. The Piper led them out of the town to a nearby river, where every rats was drowned. However, the people (for reasons unknown) refused to pay the Piper for his work. Angry, the Piper asked agin for his money, vowing he would do horrible things if they didn't pay. Laughing, the townsfolk refused. The Piper put the pipe to his lips and began to play a song. However, instead of rats coming to his side, the village children did instead, and no matter how loud or how much they called, the children continued to pursue to Piper as he strode out of the town. The children and the Piper were never seen again.

      Many historians believe the children died, whether from sickness or drowning in the river, no one really knows. The pied piper was believed to be death, since death was usually decked in pied (motley) clothing. But whether these children died or ran away, we do know one thing; In the year 1384, these words were written, "It's been 100 years since our children left." (Wikipedia.)

What would it be like to live in a world without children? What would it feel like? 

     I recently watched a movie called "Children of Men". It was about a dystopian world being torn apart by war and terrorism. The year is 2027, and the women of the world have been plagued with infertility for 18 years and so the human race is dying out. No children, no future, no hope. That was one of the promotional logos for the movie. The world was one lacking in hope and joy, and it wasn't just because of war, but because the knew that if they died, no one could take their place. The end of humanity is at hand.

      

How close our we to that world? Not necessarily a world of infertility, but a world without children. We live in a world that "empowers" women to "take charge" of their body and go live their dream. Large families are laughed at and mocked for their huge size. We try to build a Utopian society built on the pursuit of choice and "happiness". But what happens when they are gone? What happens when they are taken away?

What if I told you it's already happening?

   
     Mark Steyn discusses what he calls a "demographic death spiral",

     "[There] (Japan) the rising sun has already passed into the next phase of its long sunset: net population loss. 2005 was the first year since records began in which the country had more deaths than births. Japan offers the chance to observe the demographic death spiral in its purest form. It’s a country with no immigration, no significant minorities and no desire for any: just the Japanese, aging and dwindling."

     As the number of children born every year dwindles, couples, either elderly, unable to have children or they just refuse, are trying to find other ways to satisfy their desire to care for "something". You've seen couples treating their pets like babies right? Apparently, these aren't good enough. (surprisingly *sarcasm*) Some toy makers have begun production of a doll, the Yumel doll, that can speak about 1,200 phrases for those who want a child...and yet don't. I wonder if people would still buy them if they started to have to change diapers...

     All across Europe, the number of children born every year are taking a drastic drop...and they don't show any sure signs of stopping. And it's not just infertility that is to blame. Abortions, contraceptives, or just wanting to put it off because "I'm not ready".  What people fail to realize, is that, as our children begin to disappear, so does our will to live.

     Why are we trying to make a better world? Why do they tell us to clean up our garbage, pay off the national debt and help build a stronger community? For the next generation. Even if you aren't a Christian, everyone feels an obligation to clean up at least a little bit for those coming after. And for those who couldn't care less about it? Well, we're all going to end up like them soon;

     "Without the hope of posterity, for our race if not for ourselves, without the assurance that we being dead yet live, all pleasures of the mind and senses sometimes seem no more than pathetic and crumbling defences shored up against our ruins." (Children Of Men)

      Children bring joy, laughter and smiles. They bring color and creativity. They ask questions adults are afraid to ask and (sometimes) posses wisdom beyond their years. They take work, yes, but so does everything else.
 
     "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

     Unfortunately, many forget this or say its a lie. They refuse to believe that children could ever be a blessing to themselves and others. Jeff Jacoby, in his article, "A World Without Children", ends his paper with this though-provoking quote,

     "A world without children will be a poorer world - grayer, lonelier, less creative, less confidant. Children are a great blessing, but it may take their disappearance for the world to remember why."