31 Oct Doing A Great Deal Of Good – Without Knowing It!
Good and Evil are not determined by the interactions with people, but entirely by a person's relationship with themselves. ~ The Batman
As a young child, I loved Batman because he never killed anyone, but what impressed me the most was that he remained anonymous so that no one knew who was doing all of the “good” in the city. Batman did a great deal of good without anyone knowing who was making things happen. Even as I write this to you on this crisp autumn morning I have tears in my eyes about it.
As a child I just wanted to do a great deal of “good” without anyone knowing it was me. I made a vow to live this way…to keep the Batman within me and imagine all of the ways I could help others without anyone ever knowing it was me…Gregory.
But there were so many things that would get in the way of this.
I was then and am still to this day a very sensitive person who is hurt deeply at the sight of cruelty. I was quiet as a child, an observer as “only children” often are. I was interested in how to change what I thought was “wrong” and make it all “OK” again.
I began collecting Batman memorabilia as a symbol of my steadfastness to do a great deal of good without anyone ever knowing it. Many of my friends thought I was just obsessed with collecting. I never bother to explain myself to people, as it is useless.
In the fall of 1989 I went to the opening of the movie “Batman” and I was enthralled! I went to see it again and again. One Saturday afternoon I took a young child of seven who was very ill to the movie with me to see the Batman. He understood the Batman like no one I had ever talked to. We bonded through Batman and I began working with him in meditation to heal his body. His parents were good friends of mine and welcomed the help.
On the way to a party one afternoon, he turned to me and said: “We need to be taken more seriously – I think we need a real Batmobile!” My inner child was filled with glee as I had finally been given the answer to my problem with Batman! The missing element was the CAR…we needed a Batmobile!
DESCENT INTO THE MYSTERY!
So the next day we went to a wrecking yard and found an old Opel GT, which I bought for $200. Then we took it to a mechanic who made it road-worthy again. From there we drove it down to Tijuana to have fins created for it, similar to the real Batmobile in the movie, and we had it painted black.
During the process of creating our own “Batmobile” the child began to show signs of healing. We would get together every weekend and do some inner exercises with Batman putting the bad “cells” into Arkham Asylum where all of Batman’s enemies go for rehabilitation, not punishment. It was working as he could visualize his body changing and actually healing. The more we worked on the Batmobile the more encouraged he was to do his inner work and the better he was feeling.
On Halloween we were to drive our “Batmobile” to the Center where I taught and let everyone see us together! I looked at my fellow Batman and I asked him; “What do you want from all of this?”
His eyes lit up and he said; “I just want to do good and have no one know it is us.” I almost fell over! His words echoed my own dream that began when I was just a child. We were both seeking to heal different parts of ourselves and through the creation of the Batmobile we had the chance to live the goodness of our Hearts…together.
We pleased many kids that year. We went to hospitals and let the kids and parents enjoy the funny looking “Batmobile” and our costumes. My little friend loved the idea that he was a “hero” and no one knew it was “him” (a very sick little boy) that lived behind that mask. Times were sweet…we were both healing.
One day his parents took him to see a “specialist” as he was growing much better through all of our Batmoible activities and meditation. The “specialist” told them that the “Batman thing and meditation” could not be the reason for the change and this hit my little friend hard. He believed what the “specialist” told him and soon began to believe he no longer had a “future” as he slowly deteriorated back into his illness. Just before he passed on, he said to me: “I want you to make a real Batmobile like the one in the movie and I want you to help kids like you helped me. It has been fun doing good without anyone knowing it was us.” I wept as I gave him my promise.
Beneath the dark denim of that stern figure of the night...Batman!...beats a tender, generous heart. A heart that can be merciful to the unfortunate and can soften to the whispers of Love. ~ The Batman, 1943
So I kept all of this in my heart. We loved each other on agreed terms of the Heart and not from the idea of what we could do for each other that was gratifying. We were linked by a cause that was greater than ourselves and we did “good” for others together. It was magic in my life. Pure magic. The kind that can only come from a Love that is allowed to enter within and teach the Way.
The memory of my young friend kept haunting me – how was I to make a real Batmobile and keep my promise? Then one day it happened. I found by “accident” a reproduction of the 1989 Batmobile and I was thrilled. I sold the Opel GT “Batmobile” and bought the reproduction….then, like magic, someone came into my life to put it all together. It was a HUGE project and I had everyone donating their time and equipment to make it what it was. It took four years to complete. I truly feel my little friend on the “other shore” made it all occur with his loving Heart and from there a new adventure began.
I started making hospital visits and helping kids who wanted a ride with Batman in the Batmobile as their “last wish.” I did all I could for 10 years with the gift that my little friend made for me to serve humankind. And with every Halloween that comes and goes, on the anniversary of his passing, I call to him and thank him for the presence of his mercy in my life and in the lives of the many children that he helped.
He gave me the ride of a lifetime in a Batmobile that made my deepest dreams come true. He showed me what it meant to be in the flow of Life and how a seeming “impossible” project can come to life and affect so many lives. I have so many memories of children that I gave rides to and the surprised look on people’s faces when they saw what seemed to be a dream drive by! I have so much to be grateful for when it comes to the people I met through the Batmobile and the friendships that I have had with so many due to its symbolic presence of courage and mercy.
I have nothing but gratitude for the whole experience and to this day I wear the ring of the Batman to remind me of the Heart it takes to stand apart from my own fears. ~ Siraj
My whole experience with the Batmobile was nothing but a mystery that I have kept very close to my Heart and followed no matter what people thought of me. No one knew the truth of it all but me and my sweet young friend on the other shore. All of this was due to my sweet little friend who urged me to live the dream.
The Batman never dies. He is a spirit, not a man. He lives with me to this moment. I have loved him since childhood and he remains the spirit of my life and my work. Sharing this with all of you has meant so much to me. To my little friend I say, “I KEPT MY PROMISE. Because of you I am the Batman and I still seek to do a great deal of good without anyone knowing it – even in my old age – all because of you.
There are dreams and then there are dreams - a real dream is more like a vision that is planted in your Heart
You have the ability to MAKE LOVE POSSIBLE - remain patient enough to HEAR what is happening and follow the illogic of the mystery that is Life and Love
Feel how Love works and learn to TRUST IT beyond the ego's desire for emotional and physical for gratification
Keep your mind and its selfish concerns and demands out of the way and you will find that the Path to your Heart IS the blessing and the Way will become clear
Mary
Posted at 03:09h, 01 NovemberIn Gratitude, Beloved Batman for your devotion to bring Kindness, Compassion and authentic Love into the world….
Michael Eidsmoe
Posted at 04:26h, 01 NovemberThank you for this beautiful story. Very brave. Thank you for teaching me about real LOVE & The Mystery.
Johnny Chamblee
Posted at 06:15h, 01 NovemberThank you for sharing your heart.
Sharilyn Bisson
Posted at 05:33h, 02 NovemberThe devotion of Batman shows us true humility. Thank you for always staying true, The world needs this Beauty….In Gratitude