Post by Cary Friedman on Nov 16, 2006 13:50:59 GMT -5
Read the complete review at www.comicon.com/pulse
BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Rabbi Cary A. Friedman is a writer, works with the F.B.I. as a profiler, and is a comic book fan who has taken his love of the Batman and turned that into a book for the masses, Wisdom From The Batcave. He tells us what it was like examining one of his favorite characters in this fashion.
THE PULSE: As a man of God, is it tough for you to "believe" in the ideals of superheroes?
CARY A. FRIEDMAN: Not at all. The two are not antagonistic in any way. In fact, they are totally compatible. My religious beliefs teach that it is our job, in partnership with the Almighty, to perfect – physically, socially, and spiritually – the world in which we live. We are not helpless, passive spectators to the great cosmic drama of life. We are – or are supposed to be – active participants, partners with G-d in the process of bringing holiness into the world. That worldview fits perfectly with the ideals of superheroes.
One more point: I appreciate your calling me a “man of God,†but I am no more a man of God than any other human being who decides to commit himself or herself to the hard work of perfecting the world. Every person, through the exercise of their free will, is called upon to be a man or woman of God.
THE PULSE: How does a Rabbi come to write a book like Wisdom from the Batcave? Why this subject matter?
FRIEDMAN: As I describe in the book, I am a Rabbi in large part because of my love for the Batman and my reverence for all that he stands for. The Batman introduced me as a child to some of the loftiest ideals I possess today in adulthood, ideals that naturally found expression for me through a career in the Rabbinate.
In addition, I have always used the Batman to illustrate ideas in the classes I teach – especially to audiences that might not be receptive or interested in discussing abstract, esoteric, ancient texts. I can introduce the same moral, philosophical, spiritual ideas to the class using Batman comics books, before transitioning much later on to more classical sources. It doesn't work with just any superhero – it has to be the Batman, for all the reasons I describe in the book.
THE PULSE: What is it about Batman that you find the most heroic?
FRIEDMAN: He is human. He possesses no special powers, just the sheer force of his inexorable, indomitable will and desire to do Good in the world. Whatever he accomplishes he accomplishes because of vision, hard work, commitment, and idealism. And he does what he does in full knowledge of his humanity and vulnerability. And it is heroism that requires constancy, for the long term. If might not be that difficult to be heroic – even go out in a blaze of glory, in a moment of passion – but to commit oneself to a lifetime of hard work and self sacrifice: that’s genuine, breathtaking heroism.
THE PULSE: What do you think of the current version of Batman? Do you still read/follow his adventures through all the twists and turns that the character has faced – especially these past two decades?
FRIEDMAN: I really like the current version of the Batman.
I missed "my" Batman for a number of years – there were many years when the Batman was very different than the one I know; he just wasn’t the Batman I remembered or liked. But I sense lately that we are entering a new era, one with a Batman that I recognize, remember, relate to, admire, and like.
I really enjoyed the Animated Adventures on TV in the ‘90s and all the comic book series based on the A.A. I loved Chuck Dixon’s work on Detective. I was thrilled when Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin reunited to do Dark Detective last year – it took me back to my youth and their first incredible, incomparable run on Detective in the mid-‘70s.
THE PULSE: What is Wisdom from the Batcave? Is it Batman sharing his knowledge with the masses?
FRIEDMAN: Wisdom From The Batcave is a presentation of the life philosophy that emerges from the Batman comics and mythology. Wisdom reduces the Batman to his essentials – it identifies the qualities that define him and account for his enduring popularity over the last seven decades. It identifies and describes what makes him heroic, and it describes how we can acquire those same qualities and use them in becoming heroic in our own everyday lives.
THE PULSE: How long did it take you to put something like this together and what was the reaction of your peers when they found out you were working on Wisdom from the Batcave?
FRIEDMAN: I taught classes on philosophy and spirituality at Duke University during my four years as a Rabbi there. I used the Batman material to introduce every topic, to draw the students into conversation and demonstrate that the material was not dry or boring or abstruse. Then I would segue into a discussion of the more classical sources and what they had to say on the topic. A number of students – G-d bless them – begged me to commit those introductions to writing. At some point about seven years ago, I used my notes to write the basic draft of Wisdom From The Batcave. I got involved with the FBI and needed to attend to another book nearing publication , so put Wisdom on hold for several years. Every once in a while, when I needed a boost, when I needed to be reinspired, I would reread the Batman manuscript. In the course of my work with police officers, and preparing Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement for publication, I realized that I needed to get Wisdom From The Batcave out – because it contains just about everything that I want to say to the world about what I believe.
THE PULSE: What was the reaction of your peers when they found out you were working on Wisdom from the Batcave?
FRIEDMAN: I don’t divulge the subject or contents of what I am working on until I finish writing it. Wisdom From The Batcave is my fifth book, and I’ve learned from bitter personal experience, early in my book-writing career, that it is definitely NOT a good idea to tell people you are writing a book or what the book is about. Everyone scoffs at the idea or dissuades you from writing. That kind of negativity can sap your resolve to write the book or complete the project. Later, though, after the book was written, I described it to a few people. There was a bit of eye rolling and smirking … until they read it. It’s been that way throughout the publishing process: people dismiss the book because they think they know what it’s going to be about or how it will be written. It is not what they expect. It’s not tongue in cheek; it’s not satirical; it’s not hokey. Nor does it take itself too seriously. But it contains the most profound ideas I have learned in my life – a life filled with higher and deeper religious study. All those profound ideas I encountered first in the Batman. All of us Batman fans – and, to some degree, all comic book readers – intuit them on some level. I have articulated them for us all to realize, to acknowledge, and, I hope, implement in our lives.
A book doesn’t have to be dry or boring or incomprehensible to contain profound ideas.
THE PULSE: What kind of approval process did you have to have to write something like this? I mean there are illustrations from comic books, you're using Batman and Robin, and you're making reference to television episodes, comic books and other things the characters have appeared in ....
FRIEDMAN: I did not license the characters or materials from DC Comics. Instead, I used what is known as “fair use†of copyrighted material. The book is scholarly in its own way, and analyzes the characters and episodes to derive certain truths. Scholarly analysis of copyrighted material is allowed under copyright law, provided one adheres to certain legal parameters and constraints. I retained an attorney well versed in copyright law, and worked hard to ensure that the book did not violate the “fair use†rules. I submitted several versions to DC over the years to ensure that I was not going to encounter a problem down the line, distributing or selling the book. The executives and legal people at DC Comics were very gracious, and, while they guarded and enforced their rights under the copyright laws, they did it in a very gracious and respectful way. I was very impressed by the dignity and humanity of the executives at DC with whom I interacted and am very grateful to them.
THE PULSE: How did you decide how to break down all these lessons into chapters and were there any other(s) you wanted to include, but had to leave on the cutting room floor due to space constraints?
FRIEDMAN: The book basically follows the same order I followed in the classes I taught at Duke.
I left a fair amount of material out because I did not want to overload the reader. With a book of this kind, with this kind of subject matter, too much begins to sound preachy, something I definitely did not want to be.
THE PULSE: What is it about the Batman that makes you think he is suited for this topic? Were there any other characters whose "wisdom" you considered examining or was it always Batman?
FRIEDMAN: I have been obsessed with the Batman my entire life. There was never any other choice.
THE PULSE: The "about the author" section of your book mentioned along with being a rabbi, you also are a consultant to the FBI. What does that entail?
FRIEDMAN: The profession of law enforcement is challenging, physically and emotionally, and there are programs and training in place to address those challenges. As it turns out, the job is also very challenging and draining spiritually, as police officers are exposed to situations and experiences that sap them spiritually and threaten to deplete their reservoir of spiritual strength. I teach insights and tools for spiritual renewal and fortification to help them replenish their natural supply of spirituality, and I do it in a spiritual, non-religious way in order not to violate any Church-State separation rules or make anyone feel uncomfortable. I actually wrote a book on the topic – my fourth book, Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement [read about it here: spiritualsurvivalbook.com].
THE PULSE: Did your love of comic books bring out the "detective/consultant" in you or was there something else that drove you to help in that way?
FRIEDMAN: It was because of the Batman, no question about it. I was ready and able to help because of my religious training, my chaplain experience, and my lifelong love of the Batman. Without the Batman piece, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
THE PULSE: When will Wisdom from the Batcave be available for the masses?
FRIEDMAN: Wisdom From The Batcave is available now for order at comic book stores through Diamond Comic Distributors. It is available on the internet from Amazon.com, bn.com, or my website at batwisdom.com. It is available at all of the major book stores, including Barnes & Noble and Borders.
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
FRIEDMAN: I'm pretty busy speaking about the book to various groups and organizations, including teachers groups and law enforcement audiences. I am working on a sequel to Wisdom From The Batcave dealing with the Batman's bad guys, which collects a lot of the material I left out of the first volume. Just recently I was asked to write a companion volume to Wisdom From The Batcave entitled What Would Batman Do? that would be geared to junior high and high school students.
I am already busy collecting and sorting through the feedback I am receiving from readers of Wisdom From The Batcave. At the end of Wisdom, I asked readers to share their Batman insights and anecdotes – and, thank God, those responses are starting to come in. I hope to put them together and share them with my audience in some form or other, perhaps on the website, soon. I can be reached at Cary@batwisdom.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can order Wisdom From The Batcave here:
www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Batcave-Live-Super-Heroic/dp/097619662X
BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Rabbi Cary A. Friedman is a writer, works with the F.B.I. as a profiler, and is a comic book fan who has taken his love of the Batman and turned that into a book for the masses, Wisdom From The Batcave. He tells us what it was like examining one of his favorite characters in this fashion.
THE PULSE: As a man of God, is it tough for you to "believe" in the ideals of superheroes?
CARY A. FRIEDMAN: Not at all. The two are not antagonistic in any way. In fact, they are totally compatible. My religious beliefs teach that it is our job, in partnership with the Almighty, to perfect – physically, socially, and spiritually – the world in which we live. We are not helpless, passive spectators to the great cosmic drama of life. We are – or are supposed to be – active participants, partners with G-d in the process of bringing holiness into the world. That worldview fits perfectly with the ideals of superheroes.
One more point: I appreciate your calling me a “man of God,†but I am no more a man of God than any other human being who decides to commit himself or herself to the hard work of perfecting the world. Every person, through the exercise of their free will, is called upon to be a man or woman of God.
THE PULSE: How does a Rabbi come to write a book like Wisdom from the Batcave? Why this subject matter?
FRIEDMAN: As I describe in the book, I am a Rabbi in large part because of my love for the Batman and my reverence for all that he stands for. The Batman introduced me as a child to some of the loftiest ideals I possess today in adulthood, ideals that naturally found expression for me through a career in the Rabbinate.
In addition, I have always used the Batman to illustrate ideas in the classes I teach – especially to audiences that might not be receptive or interested in discussing abstract, esoteric, ancient texts. I can introduce the same moral, philosophical, spiritual ideas to the class using Batman comics books, before transitioning much later on to more classical sources. It doesn't work with just any superhero – it has to be the Batman, for all the reasons I describe in the book.
THE PULSE: What is it about Batman that you find the most heroic?
FRIEDMAN: He is human. He possesses no special powers, just the sheer force of his inexorable, indomitable will and desire to do Good in the world. Whatever he accomplishes he accomplishes because of vision, hard work, commitment, and idealism. And he does what he does in full knowledge of his humanity and vulnerability. And it is heroism that requires constancy, for the long term. If might not be that difficult to be heroic – even go out in a blaze of glory, in a moment of passion – but to commit oneself to a lifetime of hard work and self sacrifice: that’s genuine, breathtaking heroism.
THE PULSE: What do you think of the current version of Batman? Do you still read/follow his adventures through all the twists and turns that the character has faced – especially these past two decades?
FRIEDMAN: I really like the current version of the Batman.
I missed "my" Batman for a number of years – there were many years when the Batman was very different than the one I know; he just wasn’t the Batman I remembered or liked. But I sense lately that we are entering a new era, one with a Batman that I recognize, remember, relate to, admire, and like.
I really enjoyed the Animated Adventures on TV in the ‘90s and all the comic book series based on the A.A. I loved Chuck Dixon’s work on Detective. I was thrilled when Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin reunited to do Dark Detective last year – it took me back to my youth and their first incredible, incomparable run on Detective in the mid-‘70s.
THE PULSE: What is Wisdom from the Batcave? Is it Batman sharing his knowledge with the masses?
FRIEDMAN: Wisdom From The Batcave is a presentation of the life philosophy that emerges from the Batman comics and mythology. Wisdom reduces the Batman to his essentials – it identifies the qualities that define him and account for his enduring popularity over the last seven decades. It identifies and describes what makes him heroic, and it describes how we can acquire those same qualities and use them in becoming heroic in our own everyday lives.
THE PULSE: How long did it take you to put something like this together and what was the reaction of your peers when they found out you were working on Wisdom from the Batcave?
FRIEDMAN: I taught classes on philosophy and spirituality at Duke University during my four years as a Rabbi there. I used the Batman material to introduce every topic, to draw the students into conversation and demonstrate that the material was not dry or boring or abstruse. Then I would segue into a discussion of the more classical sources and what they had to say on the topic. A number of students – G-d bless them – begged me to commit those introductions to writing. At some point about seven years ago, I used my notes to write the basic draft of Wisdom From The Batcave. I got involved with the FBI and needed to attend to another book nearing publication , so put Wisdom on hold for several years. Every once in a while, when I needed a boost, when I needed to be reinspired, I would reread the Batman manuscript. In the course of my work with police officers, and preparing Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement for publication, I realized that I needed to get Wisdom From The Batcave out – because it contains just about everything that I want to say to the world about what I believe.
THE PULSE: What was the reaction of your peers when they found out you were working on Wisdom from the Batcave?
FRIEDMAN: I don’t divulge the subject or contents of what I am working on until I finish writing it. Wisdom From The Batcave is my fifth book, and I’ve learned from bitter personal experience, early in my book-writing career, that it is definitely NOT a good idea to tell people you are writing a book or what the book is about. Everyone scoffs at the idea or dissuades you from writing. That kind of negativity can sap your resolve to write the book or complete the project. Later, though, after the book was written, I described it to a few people. There was a bit of eye rolling and smirking … until they read it. It’s been that way throughout the publishing process: people dismiss the book because they think they know what it’s going to be about or how it will be written. It is not what they expect. It’s not tongue in cheek; it’s not satirical; it’s not hokey. Nor does it take itself too seriously. But it contains the most profound ideas I have learned in my life – a life filled with higher and deeper religious study. All those profound ideas I encountered first in the Batman. All of us Batman fans – and, to some degree, all comic book readers – intuit them on some level. I have articulated them for us all to realize, to acknowledge, and, I hope, implement in our lives.
A book doesn’t have to be dry or boring or incomprehensible to contain profound ideas.
THE PULSE: What kind of approval process did you have to have to write something like this? I mean there are illustrations from comic books, you're using Batman and Robin, and you're making reference to television episodes, comic books and other things the characters have appeared in ....
FRIEDMAN: I did not license the characters or materials from DC Comics. Instead, I used what is known as “fair use†of copyrighted material. The book is scholarly in its own way, and analyzes the characters and episodes to derive certain truths. Scholarly analysis of copyrighted material is allowed under copyright law, provided one adheres to certain legal parameters and constraints. I retained an attorney well versed in copyright law, and worked hard to ensure that the book did not violate the “fair use†rules. I submitted several versions to DC over the years to ensure that I was not going to encounter a problem down the line, distributing or selling the book. The executives and legal people at DC Comics were very gracious, and, while they guarded and enforced their rights under the copyright laws, they did it in a very gracious and respectful way. I was very impressed by the dignity and humanity of the executives at DC with whom I interacted and am very grateful to them.
THE PULSE: How did you decide how to break down all these lessons into chapters and were there any other(s) you wanted to include, but had to leave on the cutting room floor due to space constraints?
FRIEDMAN: The book basically follows the same order I followed in the classes I taught at Duke.
I left a fair amount of material out because I did not want to overload the reader. With a book of this kind, with this kind of subject matter, too much begins to sound preachy, something I definitely did not want to be.
THE PULSE: What is it about the Batman that makes you think he is suited for this topic? Were there any other characters whose "wisdom" you considered examining or was it always Batman?
FRIEDMAN: I have been obsessed with the Batman my entire life. There was never any other choice.
THE PULSE: The "about the author" section of your book mentioned along with being a rabbi, you also are a consultant to the FBI. What does that entail?
FRIEDMAN: The profession of law enforcement is challenging, physically and emotionally, and there are programs and training in place to address those challenges. As it turns out, the job is also very challenging and draining spiritually, as police officers are exposed to situations and experiences that sap them spiritually and threaten to deplete their reservoir of spiritual strength. I teach insights and tools for spiritual renewal and fortification to help them replenish their natural supply of spirituality, and I do it in a spiritual, non-religious way in order not to violate any Church-State separation rules or make anyone feel uncomfortable. I actually wrote a book on the topic – my fourth book, Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement [read about it here: spiritualsurvivalbook.com].
THE PULSE: Did your love of comic books bring out the "detective/consultant" in you or was there something else that drove you to help in that way?
FRIEDMAN: It was because of the Batman, no question about it. I was ready and able to help because of my religious training, my chaplain experience, and my lifelong love of the Batman. Without the Batman piece, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
THE PULSE: When will Wisdom from the Batcave be available for the masses?
FRIEDMAN: Wisdom From The Batcave is available now for order at comic book stores through Diamond Comic Distributors. It is available on the internet from Amazon.com, bn.com, or my website at batwisdom.com. It is available at all of the major book stores, including Barnes & Noble and Borders.
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
FRIEDMAN: I'm pretty busy speaking about the book to various groups and organizations, including teachers groups and law enforcement audiences. I am working on a sequel to Wisdom From The Batcave dealing with the Batman's bad guys, which collects a lot of the material I left out of the first volume. Just recently I was asked to write a companion volume to Wisdom From The Batcave entitled What Would Batman Do? that would be geared to junior high and high school students.
I am already busy collecting and sorting through the feedback I am receiving from readers of Wisdom From The Batcave. At the end of Wisdom, I asked readers to share their Batman insights and anecdotes – and, thank God, those responses are starting to come in. I hope to put them together and share them with my audience in some form or other, perhaps on the website, soon. I can be reached at Cary@batwisdom.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can order Wisdom From The Batcave here:
www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Batcave-Live-Super-Heroic/dp/097619662X