Photo Courtesy of the Huffpost © 2019

Heath Ledger’s last performance or just a stopping point on the way to Eternal Glory? Jack Nicholson warned Heath, “Don’t do it, you’ll go too far.” Or did he finally come to terms with his true demons & make his peace before his goodbye. Not everyone is born to live a long life. Some are born to live a powerful life. A life of impact & make people really take a good look at the world. Through the Joker… Heath made me think & see differently. My choices, my mistakes & my destiny.
Joker quotes: “I killed the bus driver.” We’ll start with choices- He’s a loner the Joker. He needs you till he doesn’t. Which means he never did. His goons were for convenience. “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you… stranger.” Oh, how I can relate to that! And so can Batman. The Bat is more twisted because the Joker has forced his hand. The Bat’s lair, more industrial, not cryptic, and mystical. His toys, less flash more mechanics. The Joker has stripped the Bat of character & made him twisted & lost, just like The Joker himself.
This is what happened to Heath, he stripped his soul in order to embody the character of The Joker. However, he peeled too many layers. He peeled till he released his own demons & they twisted with The Joker for real.

Batman’s armor holds him together. For decades now, he’s been unstoppable. Many of us cover in “armor ” & live out our lives but at the end of the decades… we are nothing. Hollow inside the armor we created. And so, its purpose is defeated long before it begins. We miss so much of life because we only want to survive & not live. Heath did not want this. He WANTED to live. To feel. To push the edge. He did & found joy & the thrill, even if it cut his life short. So, I ask you…long, boring, protected life or thrilling, edge of your seat, depth of soul, bone chilling truth short life. Which would you choose?

Quote: “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”  So many of us make this mistake. We take our most precious talent & give it away. Not Heath. He knew he could make your skin crawl off your body as the Joker & he paid for it with his life. I referenced earlier; his death was not in vain but an ultimate sacrifice. So, did he get paid or not? I dare say… yes, he did! He got to take the ultimate thrill ride & turn his darkest demons loose. He got to play with them & talk with them. Most are too scared to do this because they are afraid of not being able to control. Lose control. It’s fun!

The Joker-

The Joker’s father cut his face while asking him, “Why so serious?” Good question. Goes right back to the Joker’s comment, “what doesn’t kill you makes you STRANGER”.
Is the Joker stranger? By normal society standards, yes. However, in the realm of the Joker, he is strange because he is the most abnormal. The most tormented. The most intelligent & the one who wants answers the most.
Even now as I dissect the antagonist mind of the Joker I wonder, is he really insane or is he just strange enough to face reality instead of duck & cover like the rest of the sheep?
I… do not… duck & cover!

© 2022 “I see… what others refuse to see.
I am… what others refuse to be”
Lady Kate Phillips