The Fear of Men

What is it about the darkness that seems to draw me to it's void? Why am I so at home in a place where I am invisible? Light is like a repellant and the darkness is a refuge. I have a mild case of claustrophobia, and yet I am most productive working in confined areas. So where does this embracing of what frightens us most offer us comfort?

When Bruce Wayne was asked why he chose a bat as his persona, he said “Bats frighten me, it is time my enemies shared my dread.” The first time I saw Batman Begins, I loved the movie. I wasn’t sure what the attraction was, but I saw it over and over. It wasn’t until this past week I fully understood why it struck a chord with me.

As a bounty hunter by profession, I hunt at night since my prey comes out at night. I have committed myself to finding those who do harm to others as they thrive on the indulgence of societies understanding.

So by living in the world of my adversaries, I find them with their guards down. I endeavor to ensure justice is carried out. It isn’t up to me to decide their judgment or punishment, but I will do my best to see that they are duly dealt with. My only challenge is to leave their world to them, and return to mine as the sun rises. I have found new strength in identifying their world as a dark, slimy infestation of corruption, immorality and abuse. It is this differentiation that gives me power to succeed, the will to persevere and the drive to fight for those who have been victimized by the tools of my prey…fear. My intolerance of evil is has given me the means to fight injustice, to turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.

Intimidation and surprise afford me an edge. To borrow another quote form Batman “To conquer fear you must become fear, you must bask in the fear of other men. And men fear most what they cannot see.” Fear leads to anger, and it is that anger that gives me the drive to do great or terrible things. With power, comes a higher level of responsibility than some people can bear. The ability to segregate the anger from revenge is what separates the righteous from evil.