Droplets are falling from rooftops, and we are arriving at sunsets later and later into the evening.
Spring has arrived here in beautiful Borderland.
Very soon, our remaining mini ice shelves will split on the lake, and the ice will vanish cleanly from our highways.
Summer is right around the corner.
By land, water, or air, kilometres will be travelled.
That being said, I must ask:
Do you ever wish time would pass more quickly, but sleep refuses to come?
Would engaging conversation with the family brighten the travel, but the risk of a spontaneous political debate in these strange times — and the possibility of needing to turn around — simply is not worth it?
Do you want to laugh, and maybe get to know your loved ones a little better?
Let’s go to Gotham.
Not literally, but in a way, yes.
I cannot count how many evenings disappeared into night — and then into daylight again — as friends, relatives, and I debated, discussed, dialogued, and bantered over some of the most meaningful ideas in our collective history.
What is the meaning of life?
What does justice mean?
Are we shaped by nature or nurture? Both? One more than the other?
Is it better to win together or lose separately?
However, it was like travelling in a DeLorean with Stan Lee, Socrates, and a key to the Marvel and DC archives.
We used Batman and his Rogues’ Gallery to explore these ideas.
Are the heroes truly heroes, or is it all in the eye of the beholder?
Was the Joker correct? How?
Before long, we were discussing life’s biggest questions — some of the deepest human beings have ever tangled with — but through pop culture, where deeper values can be struck like a well of fresh water.
Exploring philosophy and civics through the prism of pop culture, the light of imagination, and without platforms or partisanship?
It does exist.
Time would disappear. Laughter would erupt. Eyes would roll. Ideas would be shared.
It was a kind of discussion that was lively, imaginative, and tremendous, but never dragged itself into our era’s harsh divisions.
So, let’s go to Gotham.
Draw upon pop culture. Movies are phenomenal for this. Comics, literature, and television series work wonderfully too.
Treat the story as if it is a universe unto itself.
No different than ours. Heck, let’s say it is ours.
This is where pop culture meets the thought experiment.
In philosophy, a thought experiment is a mental “what if” used to explore deeper questions.
What is real?
What can be known?
What is good and evil?
What is thought?
What is beautiful?
How is justice defined?
What matters most?
These are only a few starting points, and they can, of course, become more specific.
Then comes the meeting of minds: dropping those questions into the chosen universe.
These are a few of the conversations that have taken shape across story arcs, from evening until morning:
In The Dark Knight, the Joker tells Batman, “You complete me.” What did he mean by that? If Batman exists because crime exists, does he also require a villain to pursue? If so, is Batman part of the problem?
At the end of The Hunger Games series, is President Snow a villain? Or is he simply what he believed he had to be in order to remain in power and keep Panem together?
In Wayne’s World, Wayne and Garth are content producing their show on public access, doing it their own way. They are offered an opportunity to reach more people and earn money, but they would lose control of its direction. What matters more: staying true to one’s vision or reaching more people? Can both be done? What does that say about success?
In The Da Vinci Code, Sophie’s identity is revealed to be part of a profound truth that could disrupt society. Knowing the likely consequences, is it morally right to reveal it, or can keeping it hidden be justified?
In Ex Machina, Ava escapes and leaves Caleb behind after earning his trust and trapping him. If artificial intelligence is conscious, was she justified in doing what she needed to do in order to escape?
Seems crazy? It is.
But it also has a powerful consequence.
We consider concepts and ideas we may never have thought about before.
Truly, it is like stepping away from the fog of partisanship and media, and walking back to ourselves — into our own hearts, minds, and spirits — with Stan Lee and Socrates in tow.
There is a kind of purity in that.
Perhaps this is why stories remain anchors in human life across the world.
Perhaps this is why progress so often follows new avenues that bring us together, connect us, and include us as we choose to imagine, to wonder, and to ask questions that remain meaningful when guided by reason.
Look out the window. Time flew. We’re here.
Welcome to where Gotham City Hall and Athens share the same skyline and horizons.
– Robert Horton is an educator, author, orator, and linguist. He is a member of Rainy River First Nations.
