 Hey, travel journey men and women today is an episode that was long time coming an episode of Lessons I learned the hard way of me sharing my real-life experiences the challenges I had and How those difficulties I overcame and achieved some cool successes in my life and Today the episode is going to be not necessarily all about Batman, but a lot of it is going to be about Batman because He has that character that mythology has dramatically influenced my life It inspired me and helped me when I was in really low times and I will tell you all about it of What I consider that symbol to be why I personally believe so many people do love the character of Batman and how it actually Literally changed and impacted my life. So if you're interested stay tuned for this journey Now to get started actually a quick note. Look at this cup. This is a legendary cup Limited edition of my first Akira school. So I just wanted to give you a heads up but let's head into the story so First of all the story begins when I was in my teens and It begins so because I grew up in a very difficult city, which was full of crime Sounds like Gotham doesn't it? So that's your first if you're smart enough. That's your first Clue to why I love the character of Batman, but that's a real story. I grew up in a city called Paneveges It's the fifth biggest city of Lithuania my home country. I'm actually right now in Paneveges But this is like the outskirts of it where my parents live. I'm visiting them here But the city itself used to be a troublesome city a lot of crime was happening a lot of gang wars Like sometimes there were shootouts in the street, not anymore trust me It's all cool and calm But the thing is Lithuania used to be a Soviet country and when the Soviet Union fell apart 1989 that's when I was born the country was becoming from a socialist country Communist country it was turning into a How do you call that thing the American thing the American dream? I just lost my English word capitalism and democracy Kapalistic and democratic country and when that shift was happening Later in my life. I had students who were At the time policemen so they told me they that working as a policeman then was super rough, too because the laws were still just establishing there was no solid police force and A lot of gangs took advantage of that. So as I mentioned, there were literal gang wars and Like shootouts in the streets, I never saw like a shootout myself, but I know historically that was the thing all that was growing up the difficult part for myself was that the younger generation a lot of it was Idolizing those criminals and they were kind of they were one of these or or growing into criminals actually my childhood best friend Who's my neighbor at the day? He actually was like a full-on criminal and I saw him transform He you know he she was in a gang I think eventually he formed the gang he actually tried to include me and His crimes a lot of times He's asked me like to spot him and so on I never agreed and goodness But but it was tough to kind of always resist him wanting to pull me in but but that was happening in front of my eyes And I was Gangs and crime was quite common and as I mentioned not only between adults, but also the younger generation Now the reason that's an important story Part of the story is will first of all obviously sounds like Gotham, doesn't it? But the other side is that I was a Peaceful kid. I was kind of a hip hip hip hopster guy, you know white pants and saggy baggy pants and Hat and whatnot. I don't think I'm gonna find a picture of that It's been too old now, but but I was like that kid and we were a bunch of kids like that forming together drinking Smoking I quit smoking when I was 14, but doesn't matter anyway, but we were hanging out together and We were all Interesting enough. We were all very kind of peaceful we're kind of created bunch and Peaceful kids come pacifists not like officially pacifist, but but we weren't into violence and the Violent guys the criminal guys younger ones they knew that and they would come and literally hunt us They would steal our mobile mobile phones. They would steal our money. Sometimes they would beat up my friends I was never beaten up I was once in trouble or more more than once had to like physically defend myself story for another day, I guess But but yeah, I saw my friends beating up and I had to help them sometimes I had to run away multiple times. It was like No, it was shitty. They used to call it the little Chicago The city where I grew up because Chicago at the day was really tough I guess too. I don't know. I think it's better now, but I'm not an expert here But that being said, that's where I grew up and eventually I started taking on martial arts specifically Akira bad choice but back in the day, I thought that's the right choice but I took it on to learn to protect my friends and I was learning martial arts and I was Reading books to develop myself and I always felt that urge. I always felt that desire to do something about it I wanted to protect my friends and I also I also wanted to do something about that injustice I wanted to you know, there was that sense of I want to fight crime or I want to do something about that crime fool of crime situation and So I was always aspiring to that idea and I was troubled by it But then if you watch this series, you might know some of those story parts But I'll I'll make sure to bring in the fresh ones the new ones here But part of it the recurring one is that as I was as my school was ending We have 12 grades in Lithuania. I guess I was like 10th or 11th grade. I Think 11th grade. So I was like 17. I guess I was in a really bad mood because in Lithuania You have to study like nobody asked you if you want to study you have to study even if you don't know what it's kind of the culture and I didn't know what I want to study Because nothing was Fitting me back in the mind. I knew my dream was to become an martial arts instructor and I get on structure But when everybody was pressuring me to study, that's kind of how I felt. I felt like I have to Choose a university and nothing fitted me and I started kind of feeling depressed. I Couldn't sleep anymore because I was just so confused like what should I do with my life? What should I what path should I choose and I was all thinking all about the terms of Which things should I study and So I was in that kind of depressing mode and beforehand I was a very popular kid I was very much out there. I kind of ditched the whole group of you know, cool kids because drugs came in and I didn't want to do drugs and So I kind of drifted away from them and a lot of them went a bit further down the drug road than I Wish they would they did but I kind of backed away from them and I was popular in school I had friends and whatnot But but that depression side of me started to kick in and I kind of started to isolate myself and Started keeping away from everyone and just thinking all the time like so what's the right thing for me my life Like what the fuck like how do you get out of this? I? Was reading a lot of books as I mentioned like it because I couldn't fall asleep I would instead take books and read them I enter into really intuitively I realized That the more I will know the more useful and valuable I become and that was always important for me to serve others to be valuable and So I would read books like psychological books self-help books like everything and I would instead of sleeping most of times I read books and in school I realized you know school is not really shooting my needs so So started reading my own books at school just under the table It's kind of a cool idea, but but that was like all but I was feeling quite bad at the moment, too Like my mood was down. I had insomnia And I wasn't sure about what to do and I was kind of sometimes I would I don't remember chronologically wise like what kicked in first, but I was absolutely in a bad mood and then In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to become an a keto martial arts instructor But but I just feel felt so you know impossible everybody told me here if I mentioned that idea Everybody told me I look that's my girlfriend walking my dog our dog So if I mentioned that idea to anyone about me wanting to become an a keto instructor Everybody said you're crazy because this is stupid. Nobody supported me and that made me feel even worse So it's kind of lost and confused and then Interesting enough. This is finally where Batman comes in I Just enough. Well, first of all Batman wasn't my favorite character before I Kind of liked him always, but I didn't know much about him at all. I Beforehand in my in my early teens childhood. I was a fan of spider-man then Wolverine a few other characters But Batman wasn't much on my radar but then during those years Think it was like 2008. I guess Batman Begins came out Which is a film by Christopher Nolan one of my favorite directors now back then I didn't know him and interesting enough me and my brother and Streamiter, here's a picture of my brother We won't one time we sat down to watch the Batman Begins as soon as it came out and we kind of watched like a I think an English version and I didn't kind of catch most of the dialogue because it's kind of witty need to have good English and my English was still developing at the day and I kind of watched it and I didn't get it so well But then I think it was earlier But anyway, so watch and it didn't caught up to me Which is super interesting to kind of realize because again Batman wasn't a big thing for me like at the day But then sometime later again, I was in that depressed mode and the dark night came out I think and there was like only a bad version. It's a long story and Well, okay. Well in Lithuania. We used to be all pirates. I mean Internet pirates we would download everything through torrents because back in the day the economy was much weaker than Outside of it. So so it was really expensive for us to buy stuff online So we would pirate stuff. That's the truth and then I downloaded The Dark Knight second part of the Batman Dark Knight trilogy and downloaded it and it was like crappy version. So I decided, you know, I'm gonna watch Let's just take a moment and watch the first one again, whatever. I don't have anything better to do and that was it I've turned on Batman Begins just by my own and I think I downloaded a Lithuanian dub So I really understood all the dialogue And I was watching it alone at the middle of the day And I was just blown away. I was like holy crap. I was like That's my story. You know, obviously with all the humility, but I mean, I just resonated with it so bad Some so it's so deeply. I mean Because first of all, you know, we have Bruce Wayne who's growing up in Gotham a crime-bredden city And he's exposed to crime at an early age. So I was like I've been there and he wants to do something about crime But at that moment of my life, I was still and in that moment where in the movie Bruce Wayne is lost and confused You know, he doesn't know how to get there. He's kind of in a depressed mode He's searching doing his best, but it's not really working out. And I was like, that's me Hey Batman, that's me. I know how you feel. You know, I was like that And So I really felt that that's a story I could I could relate with it And then I would see the story of him not giving up and then discovering the shadow league and then going even further than that and Eventually against all odds and Favors he becomes the Batman He finds his purpose and that really caught on to me I was like, you know what and that gave me that confidence and strength that story that narrative that symbol that I Need to be like that as well. I don't I need to make sure I'm confused and lost at the moment as well But I need to make sure I don't give up. I continue. I pursue my purpose. I Can do this, you know, he did it. I can do it. Oh, it's you know, I realized it's a movie But still and that inspired me so so much and later on I started to Kind of get to go around and see like what what's what else is there with Batman? And that's when I started to learn about his mythology. I learned that the movie was Batman begins was highly inspired by a lot of graphic novels and then the official narrative of Batman Not only, you know, his parents being murdered at young age, but there's also other cool moments of the story It was so in particular in the Batman mythology Which is kind of reflected in the movie He goes and travels the world for seven years to learn from the best and to develop the skills necessary to Fight crime and to become what he needs to be and I realized, you know what? I'm gonna do that too. Like like that wasn't like the only source of inspiration for me But but that supported my idea of you know what? Fuck University. I want to be an Aikido instructor and that's what I'm gonna do You know, I will go to jet I will go to an Aikido school and I will work so hard until I become instructor And then I will come back to Gotham and open my Aikido school and Interesting enough. That's what I did but but I'm gonna get there just in a moment Coming back to me investing and learning about the mythology of Batman. There's a couple of graphic novels I showed you that those before and I won't spend much time this time, but there's Batman year one a really incredible graphic novel where he Which he they show how he tries to come back and he feels a beginning then it is older age how he struggles as well but no nevertheless he overcomes all the odds and That idea of devoting yourself entirely to your purpose Kind of being what I what I like to call one-pointed Discovering what you need to do and completely committing to it. I I realized that's the essence of Batman and in one interview with Christopher Nolan the director of the Dark Knight trilogy He mentions that That Batman superpower is his Incredible discipline and I thought you know what I want that to I went to also devote myself So hard and so much to my path and learn everything I can about it So that I would achieve my purpose and that became for me the symbol of Batman and to this day I think that's that's partly why people are inspired about him because Batman is all about being Entirely devoted to your purpose like excluding everything else Living your life all just about that and I realized I want to do that too I Wanted to become the best version of myself that I can in order to embody and fulfill my purpose And interestingly enough already I kind of did that Now I really want to do it much more on a bigger bigger level but to reflect back to the story and actually Related to the movie again. If you know my story you already know that I did Skip on University. I didn't go to university and instead I went to Switzerland and my Ikiro School Ikiro Yoga Meditation School where I lived for three years and trained But it was what was funny is that Switzerland obviously know that Switzerland has mountains, right and then my Ikiro instructor We would sometimes visit visit his place visit his house and he lived in the mountains and He had like this wooden house traditional Swiss house called the chalet and Downstairs in the basement. He has a dojo small dojo And that's where I used to sleep together with other uchi deshi's living students and And one day like one of the first days I'm taking a walk across the mountains And I look for them and this is these are like snowy mountains really beautiful There's a valley and I'm living in a literally living you know in a martial arts school sleeping on traditional Japanese tatami's and I'm like Holy fucking shit This is it I'm being the Batman. It's like I'm living that I'm living my dream. I'm following the path of the Batman I felt like I'm just repeating his story unconsciously. I mean no not it. I tried to But it's just kind of falling into place like that and that was just so cool for me Because I already went through that depressed depressed lost and confused mode and now I'm in the second stage of Finding that school which is going to make me into a man, you know It was just so cool to realize that that that was like you know, this is kind of reflecting of that moment in the movie and the next step was Me coming back to Lithuania aki a Gotham aki a Bruce Wayne comes back to Gotham and that was even more for like holy shit You know, I'm doing this Now when I look back and I reflect I did a lot of good I I think it's important that I kind of recognize that there's a lot of people inspired and I used to go to schools I still so do and talk to kids Sometimes about bullying sometimes just inspiring them and Trying to motivate them because my my own life was difficult at that period So I want I wanted to make sure that I support kids who are going for the same Since I kind of went out of it myself And yeah, I did some stuff. I had policemen now in my dojo I did my best to you know, support them and get them tools that I hopefully they were useful. I Couldn't say I directly fought crime You know or that I made like a huge difference in that level. Hopefully I will I do have some ideas and you know This journey There's maybe still things to come But yeah, that was kind of an incredible Full circle of me being exposed to the story of Batman and it literally inspired me to do something similar And up to this day just kind of slowly wrapping up up to this day I I Still admire the symbol of Batman and sometimes I do have difficult times I oftentimes take on really big challenges including this journey and That creates adversity that creates difficulties and people again start to doubt whether you know, I'm doing the right thing And that's when I fall back to Batman To this symbol to symbology and ask myself, you know What would that thing do in this scenario or I just look at that symbol? That's why I put him on my desktop Often enough and I have a tattoo actually have two tattoos and I thought I'm gonna show it to you on this video Because I never officially introduced them so the first one is just a you know a A Batman On here like a dark night symbol and the other one. Yes, I will get half naked in front of you in front of the camera Let's do this actually well not half naked. I'll just take out my sleeve. I guess it's a funny story as I'm showing you the tattoo So I'll make it quick, but I always thought that I Always told myself that I won't have a tattoo because there's nothing in my life that I could Put on my body for Permanently that I would be sure that my mind will never change about like even I kiddo if I would have made an I kid I'll tell you I'm not doing I get on anymore and then one day I realized, you know, what there is one thing That will never that my attitude will never change And that's back and then I had and then I had a tattoo and then next year made one more so shit That's the wrong shoulder Holy crap. I guess I'm so used to being on the camera and then seeing myself on the opposite side that I thought it's the other shoulder There you go in this fine mood It was supposed to actually be a half-sleeve with some other characters actually sangoku Kenshin V for Vendetta the story for another day why but yeah So anyway, what was I this is the last moon of the story and sorry, I don't want to waste our time I don't want to make this video too long, but what was it? Okay, so the symbol of Batman. I look at the symbol and It reminds me of all that narrative of all that story of all the bit of the value of not giving up going against all odds Not considering and not minding other people's opinions and just doing your thing becoming test possible version of yourself Becoming an embodiment of your purpose and leading your purpose to the full potential That's what Batman means to me and to this day I did it for years and years now But if I have a difficult time if I have a low mood I sometimes just turn on some graphic novel Or I take a graphic novel from Batman and just read it Which is my ideas for some inspiration or just look at the picture or watch the movie again and It's not like I don't I'm not trying to make it come Impression that I'm always in a down mood Most times I'm in a very good mood, but sometimes I do have challenges Sometimes I do have lows and the character of Batman that narrative motivates me Brings me back brings back my spirit brings back my faith and belief And I know you know that this is like It's a it's it's no fake, but still I think a lot of People invested a lot of thought and their hearts to creating that character to creating those stories and That's why I think it's an authority that's why I think it's symbol. It's symbolism I know it's not real, but it reflects the deeper Psyche of human beings and I think it's worth listening to and that's that's that's why it's amazing that it exists And that's why it's worth Yeah, just taking it into account using it as a symbol of inspiration and also to hopefully Bring something like that to life Not like dressing up in great fighting fighting trying by becoming the best possible version of yourself embodying your purpose And living your purpose to the fullest potential Think that would be awesome That's kind of what I'm aiming for myself and I wish I hope more people will be inspired to do the same Devote yourself completely to your purpose learn everything you can about it become a badass and Do something about What matters to you? That's what Batman is about for me that's how Batman influenced my life and Literally to a degree change my life It's the good Hope you enjoy the story. I'll talk to you in the next episode and as always Keep question