TwIsTeD Reflections

One f the recurring theme in the latest popular batman movie, the dark knight, is order and chaos which i didnt touch on in my post of it. Order and chaos is philosophically related to how we judge our morality, if it is based on the structuring of society and its rules, or lack thereof.

The Joker had a point to prove. That without the law, human beings would morally degenerate. That without an enforcement of order available, such as the police or the batman, we would blow each other up at the very first chance at it. And he was almost proven correct.

One particularly captivating scene for me is when the joker the joker spoke to Harvey to give him that "little push" over the edge.


The thing about chaos is that it is tempting. The proof is out there, when people go to clubs to loosen up. They drink, dance, let their hair down and basically be a totally complete person. A person without restrictions or rules. Chaos. In that very scene, the joker tempts Harvey with that very chaos, except to a greater extent, appealing to the dark side within Harvey we all know is evident. Leaving things up to chance is basically chaos bounded by the rules of reality, which the joker claims to be "fair".

So the morality of caving in to chaos is apparent in everyone of us. What holds us back? What keeps us in order. Rules, definitely play a part. What sort of rules? Rules, such as the law, does play apart. The question, however, becomes very important if the law is not enforced. Do we become deranged animals, murdering, raping and stealing at the drop of that realisation?

I believe the more important rules are those that we, or at least I, hold close to our own heart. In other words, our morality. It exists in each one of us as the tenets against this chaos, which is so tempting. Should we abandon these tenets and yet still follow the rules because of the law, we can safely say that we are being ruled by fear. The fear of being caught for example. And chaos breeds from fear.

Another thing about chaos is that it is spontaneous. It doesnt require thinking, or rationalising. Which makes it all the more appealing. Who enjoys the process of tedious thinking compared to spontaneous chaos, especially when one experiences both?

Fortunately for us, we have both these tenets and the spontaneity, and a balance has to be reached. I never said chaos was evil or bad. It is like fire: warm and refreshing if controlled, death and destruction if not.Too much order in our lives would mean the lack of spontaneity, the lack of fun, making our lives all the more mundane. Too much chaos, and then we see our lives, or worse other lives, receive the consequences.



All of which, in the end, boils down to our actions. Our actions shows that the tenets exists, not the other way around. In order words, our actions are not borne from these tenets, but validate them. Which is why a man who steals, seldom stops stealing. Which is why a man who murders also find it difficult to stop. On the other hand, the action of NOT stealing shows that the tenets of order does exist in a certain person, and making it easier for him NOT to steal the next time around, validating the morality or rules which we bind ourselves to.

So back to the Dark Knight, the eternal battle of Batman vs The Joker represents the fight between order and chaos. The element of the law is largely ignored, cos it simply doesnt matter. What matters is the rules we bind ourselves to, which is what batman represents, an incorruptible manifestation of the tenets within ourselves. That opposed to the Joker who "just wants to see the world burn".