In regards to Human
genetic potential, it obviously helps to have been born with the right
pedigree, so choosing your parents carefully is one aspect, but it is not the
most important. Most ‘gifted’ people whether athletes, academics or artists,
are generally not ‘born’ but ‘made’.
Yes, the athletes you see on the podium at the Olympics do have innate genetic
advantages that enable them to excel in their particular event, but a lot of us
who watch and admire these individuals, have the very same genomic potential
lain dormant inside of us.* The biggest difference is that those who
successfully master their chosen pursuit have put in the necessary time and
practice to express this ‘natural’ talent.
Work by researchers such as Benjamin Bloom, Eric Kandel and others have shown
almost conclusively that it’s less about exceptional individuals and more about
exceptional conditions. These conditions can be grouped into three main areas:
persistence; the right information; and time. Those that succeed in most endeavours,
are usually not recognised as prodigious talents right off of the bat, rather
they work hard and tirelessly even in the event of successive failures, usually
under the tutelage of an expert that provides the right guidance for on average
10 years.**
The 10 year mark is derived from the evidence that it takes about 10,000 hours
of concentrated, challenging and deliberate practice to master a discipline. So
over 10 years, if you could put in the right work, that was almost constantly
slightly out of reach of your ability, without losing the willpower to continue
and you did this on average 3 hours per day, then mastery of any speciality,
within reason, is not out of reach.
*See Dormant Dynamite
**This is not a die-cast figure, it is merely an observation of average time to
mastery based on multi-factorial influences; some reach mastery sooner, others
take longer.
In the first Christopher Nolan film ‘Batman Begins’,
Bruce Wayne is discussing with Alfred his intention of demonstrating to
Gotham City that it (the populace) has a power within, that because of
fear, induced passiveness and lack of understanding, isn’t being
utilised. Bruce says to Alfred ‘People need dramatic examples to shake
them out of apathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne, as a man I'm
flesh and blood I can be ignored I can be destroyed but as a symbol, as a
symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting.’
This
symbol as we know is the Bat, and the idea is to show the citizens of
Gotham that they need not allow the criminal element overrun the city
with their various nefarious and wanton drives and actions.
Batman
symbolises a lot more than just defiance against corruption and
immorality, to many people; myself included, Batman is an allegory for
self actualised Human potential. In fact, a book was published in 2008
called ‘Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero' that used this
premise to describe the physiology underpinning Batman’s abilities.
Batman
is in many ways an entirely self-actualised Human. He, through the
driven application of hard work, that is specific, concentrated and
directed, has developed his abilities to the theoretical pinnacle of
what we currently deem possible; although since the Human Genome Project
was completed in 2003 this viewpoint of limitation is becoming more and
more tenuous.
The biggest criticism I have seen of the book is
that its title is a little bit of a misnomer, although the subtitle
provides a better reflection of what the book actually contains; a
treatise on the necessary physiological traits needed to become Batman,
rather than a ‘how-to’ guide of principles and methods required to
attain the level at which Batman performs.
The latter is what I intend to do in this series.
I
will be sticking mainly to the physiology, as Batman’s psychological
and philosophical makeup, is just as, if not more, complex.
