Stuck? The Answer Is Either Buddha or Batman

Image: Wikimedia Commons / Yulia Matvienko via Unsplash

You’re stuck in a situation and don’t know where to begin. Might I suggest Buddha-Batman?

Buddha-Batman is a shorthand that I use to capture an essential decision making crossroads: is this a time to accept what is, or to create change?

Of the infinite things that Buddha can mean to different people, here Buddha represents the path of acceptance:

“Buddhism is a path of inner peace, and acceptance is vital to finding that peace. In a world that often celebrates control over one’s environment, Buddhism asks us to accept the present moment instead of trying to wrestle reality into whatever shape we decide it should be.” (Shambala.org)

Batman? Not so big on acceptance. Batman’s response to the death of his parents at the hands of a criminal is to singlehandedly punch every bad guy in his city - literally wrestling reality into the shape he wants it to be. In Buddha-Batman, Batman represents forcing the change you seek.

It's worth noting that there's a tendency for those unfamiliar with Buddhism to confuse acceptance with passivity: not so. See countless Buddhist activists who are in fact motivated to take action due to their full acceptance of suffering, most notably Thich Nhat Hanh. The type of acceptance we're talking about here is active, not passive.

Is there a problem you’ve been butting your head against that’s actually not worth the cost of solving? Might I suggest the Buddha approach.

Have you been telling yourself that something is out of reach when what you really need is to light a fire under your butt? Better send up a bat signal.

I experience a Buddha-Batman crossroads each morning in the choice to wake up extra early or get some added sleep. There are times when ripping myself out of bed at 5am feels like the only way to get everything done that I need to, and when that happens, I strap on my utility belt and head to the Batcave until that particular villain is defeated. This morning, that’s precisely what helped me make significant progress on my forthcoming collection of poetry. Thanks, Batman.

But let’s say I publish that book of poetry. Will it complete me? Definitely not. I’ve learned that whatever lofty goal I might achieve, it won’t fundamentally change how I feel about myself. For that, I’m better off practicing acceptance.

Buddha-Batman is also useful to help you discern whether you’ve chosen Buddha when you ought to pick Batman, or vice versa. A toxic workplace? Please don’t tell yourself that it’s something you simply need to accept. Treating grief like a problem to be solved or a timeline to be managed? There’s no grappling hook gun in the world that will help with that.

Buddha-Batman shares a lot with the Serenity Prayer, a cornerstone of Alcoholics Anonymous and countless other programs designed to help people focus on what they can change while releasing themselves of the burden of everything that lies out of their control:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (Buddha)

the courage to change the things I can (Batman)

and the wisdom to know the difference. (You, using Buddha-Batman)

I invite you to consider your challenges through the lens of Buddha-Batman, asking yourself which approach you’ve been trying, and how that’s working for you.

Let me know how it’s going.