Did you know
that the example of Batman and Robin provides direction on how to deal with the
Tri-Cities[1]
Bridge Shelter? The story of Batman and
Robin was inspired by the Middle Ages, when there once was a King Alfred (and a
Robin Hood), and where Gothic architecture reigned. At the heart of the medieval system was the
reciprocal relationship between lord and vassal (or in popular terms, the
allegiance of Batman and Robin). The
vassal, or peasant, offered his service to the lord, and the lord offered his
protection. It was a relationship based
on duty, and it kept society connected.
The medieval
model of society was shattered by Revolution, Industrialism and, of course,
Darwinism, the notion of “the survival of the fittest”. But feudal allegiance appeared once again in
the trenches of World War One, only to be immortalized by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, in particular the
relationship between the two Hobbit heroes, Frodo and Sam. Today we still find traces of the medieval
idea of service and protection in our police, our firemen, our churches, our
nurses – and in our doctors.
But we don’t
find medieval ideals, or much reciprocity, in our Federal Government, which has
not yet guaranteed funding for the Tri-Cities Bridge Shelter. Without it, there will be no service for the
homeless “peasants” of Tri-Cities suburbia until a permanent shelter is built
in 2015. Batman is equipped with his
“Gothic” cape to help and protect society while our government touts “Roman”
rule of law, but forgets the inverse: our equality before the law. Selfless protection has perhaps morphed into
selfish protection, and the Tri-Cities is poised to degenerate into the likes
of Gotham City, thanks to possible government inaction. What would Batman and Robin have to say about
this particular absence of duty to our fellow mankind? Probably a lot.
[1]
Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are known as the Tri-Cities, part of Metro-Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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