Bruce Wayne Syndrome.
Monday, September 3, 2007 at 10:07PM 
The first thought that may come to a person’s mind after having read the title to this journal entry is they may think that I’m a white man trapped in black man’s body but that couldn’t be further from the truth. And no I don’t run around at night pretending to be the winged cruisader either. Despite the obvious differences such as being born with a silver spoon in my mouth I have found that my personality characteristics mirror those of Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy. I have a tendency to withdraw from a society full of self-centered, instant gratification, materialistic people. Self sufficient, highly intellectual, perceptive, resourceful and self reliant I often find myself immersed in an internal mental landscape where I can cultivate and analyse my feelings. I don’t trust anyone or at least as my mom always says, I don’t trust anyone any further than I can throw them. I intentionally isolate myself from others because people are careless with themselves.
Like Wayne, I’m aesthetically sensitive and concerned with self-expression and self-revelation, whether it be in the clothes I wear or in the overall nature of my idiosyncratic lifestyle - Bruce Wayne expressing his individuality through his alter ego of Bat-man and myself expressing my individuality through the alter ego of Mr. Burnett of which many of you have experienced on my blog.
Also like Bruce I find myself to be eccentric. I feel no need to alter my beliefs to accommodate popular opinion, and refuse to compromise my freedom in order to think just as I please. While I’m comfortable in the realm of thought I’m not quite as comfortable when it comes to dealing with emotions, the demands of a relationship, particularly, if the demands of that relationship requires that I comprimise my wants and needs.
Even though I consider myself to be extraverted I have a tendency to be shy, nonintrusive, independent and reluctant to ask for help unless in extreme cases and even then I find myself employing my resourcefulness to get the job done. But once again, living the type of world we live in it’s hard to entrust someone with my emotional vulnerabilities and other human limitations, which is why I have sharpened my skills of resourcefulness over the years. Unfortunately, in some cases, having these personality characteristics can be a curse. Even though I am very sensitive I have to guard myself against the world. To compensate for my sensitivity, I express what can be interpreted as attitude of careless indifference or intellectual arrogance, which has the unfortunate consequence of creating distance between myself and others. But when you think about the many people out there that are themselves inconsiderate, obtuse, narrow-minded, and insensitive the distance is necessary.
I know what’s really on your minds, though. What about the playboy part? I can be considered to be a playboy of Bruce Wayne proportions but it is out of necessity rather than luxury. I often find myself having to restrain my emotions in dealing with women and rely more on logic in order to keep my mind clear and grounded. It is my desire to have complete and lifelong devotion to one woman. Unfortunately, even though I’ve worked tirelessly at putting the right vibes out in the universe so that I may recieve the right woman in my life that is in atonement with those vibes I haven’t come across that woman that possesses that right combination of personality, attractiveness, and compatability. Therefore, I maintain a minimalistic romantic lifestyle in which I make few demands on the women in my life in exchange for few demands being made on them. 
Now don’t get me wrong. It sure as hell isn’t the case that I’m incapable of emotional depth. In fact I am quite capable of emotional depth. The point is when I have effectively investigated a woman that I’m currently involved with and deduce that she does not have the characteristics I look for in a desirable mate, particularly, if she is unreliable or emotionally inaccessible or too accessible to the point of being co-dependent what is the point of holding her to my level of standards? Since the alternative of a pleasurable casual relationship is being alone it is more logical to maintain casual relationships that consist of some form of distance.
Reader Comments (4)
This was an excellent article, there is definitely a very good reason as to why Batman has become the mega-cult success that it has today. Bruce Wayne is singularly unique in the way that he uses his privileges in life to compensate for the disadvantages he has been forced to face. Wayne being the ultra rich billionaire that he is, clearly sees that money and materialism are only a means to safeguard what he ordinarily would have been able to take for granted had his parents not been killed, that is family and common blessings. Facing such a traumatic event early on in life faced Wayne to grow up much more quickly as opposed to normal children of his age. It also left him with an altered sense of reality. Its important to realize that Bruce Wayne knew exactly who he was and where he wanted to go with his life with much greater ease and at an earlier time then almost all people. In the world that we live in today most people differ from Bruce Wayne in many ways including complacency, non-defined sense of identity and purpose, materialism, and lack of basic morals. In conclusion people now-a-days conform to modern philosophies which focus primarily on self-serving attitudes, white collar work, and dishonesty. By very definition Batman the true expression of Bruce Wayne's true personality are in immediate contrast to all of these characteristics. Now I dont know you, but as an intelligent person based on your strong moral beliefs along with your writing skills, you know two things primarily. 1) The difference between what is right and wrong, and 2) That it is difficult in today's world to live by these principles and that most people do not. Now the real question is, do you possess the fortitude to stay in line what you know is right, or do you do what is easy and expected ?
Very interesting, Sean. My answer is yes--I've always done what I thought is morally right even if doing what is right would do more harm than good.
However, always doing the right thing can be a double-edged sword. As you have stated, there are so many people out there that have either lost or never had a moral compass. Society has grown into a world where immorality is rewarded and morality is rejected or is at least viewed as unpopular.
I may not have known exactly where I wanted to go in my life at an early age but I most certainly had a strong sense of who I was and never allowed anyone or anything change that.
to what extent are you a fan of TDK? your analysis of him is spot on in parts,very far from truth in others...
This article really hooked me as soon as i read it. It honestly feels like you described my whole self in one article. I agree with you completely and can relate with you. Without even knowing you, I can confidently say that although your characteristics may not look right to other people, you are morally right. I think society today needs more people like this. Dont ever change who you are. Sometimes it does feel like a curse, like theres always a burden being carried. Somehow I want to use who i truly am to bring pure good to wherever i can, but ive yet to figure out exactly how. I n a way, i feel like im completely different than everyone in society. Its good knowing theres people like this out there.