Monday, June 20, 2016

A laughing stock

What's common to Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus, Paigambar, Nanak and Joker? If you're baffled by the last name on the trail, don't be. Now, answer the question. Can't? Think harder. Still can't? Cool. The thing common to the above mentioned gentlemen is they were all laughed at when they started out on their quest. They were ridiculed for their thoughts and actions. Let's not even get to the part where Jesus was crucified. To make it worse, he was humiliated by a petty thief on a neighbouring cross. Which means, he was laughed at even moments before he left the earth. No, not taking away any credit from the great soul from Bethlehem. Just making a lame point. Coming back to Joker, like all great men (fictional or otherwise) had to go through the grind called society. Joker did the same too. His back story is gloomy and his redemption lies in setting the evil free. Like all the fellow members of his club, his ideas are radical too. He feels humans are capable of everything as long as there are no incentives—a theory that challenges the tenets of capitalism—leading him to burn the cash. He genuinely believes money restricts our true potential and our species is capable of much more. Whenever he tries to espouse his views, he's laughed at. So much so he became the Joker. Maybe, in some ways, he's the messiah Gotham needs. Just that the city is too dark already to realize that. 

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