Let go of the rope as Bruce Wayne did

Just when I thought that "The Dark Knight Rises" is just another Friday night relaxing movie event, I came out of the movie house shaking my head. Christopher Nolan has did it again. It's a great movie. I even thought it's not one for the kids. The plot is too profound that you wouldn't understand it if you're just there to enjoy. Comparably, The Avengers movie became like a cartoon after this.

One thing great about Nolan's portrayal of the Dark Knight is it's sheer realism. It's like it's happening in real life. No matter how action packed it is, it puts the audience in the middle until you feel the emotions. The hate of Bane, the sympathy for Bruce Wayne, the curiosity for Catwoman, even understanding where Alfred is coming from with his departure. But of all the great scenes of the movie, one that left its mark is when Bruce is in the prison pit.

To say that Bruce's coming back to life, after being broken by Bane, is dramatic is an understatement. But the struggle is nevertheless inspiring, culminated by his finally coming out of the mouth of the pit to escape. Before his success, he attempted many times to climb, but repeatedly he failed. He was almost at the end of his hopes when a prisoner-sage told him one final secret: let go of the rope.

Climbing with the rope as done repeatedly by Bruce in his attempts seems the "normal" thing to do. But it was not the element to succeed. Before him only one successfully escaped the pit, a child, who climbed without the rope. And when Bruce Wayne did climb the mouth of the pit without the rope, he succeeded.

Trainers and consultants can have a field day relating this lesson to a lot of dimension in real life. But for me, it's simple. A rope represents all your security and comfort zones. If you want to achieve something great, you have to let it go. So much so that you have put your very life on the line for the success of your goal. And if you don't, the only option is death. When you let go of the rope, there are no comfort zones. You either succeed or die. This was Bruce Wayne's only choices. And when he learned to embrace that, he succeeded.

Simple lesson, but darkly profound in real life like the Batman is.