One of the movies that most challenged me was the Matrix. It challenged me indirectly, I guess.
It came out when I was in high school, working at a coffee shop with a girl with some of the most hopeless worldviews. She named her dog after Gaia, the earth goddess that she worshipped when in a worshipping mood. We had discussed many things in the past, most conversations ended with her laughing at me in my sixteen-year-old Christian idealism. She was cynical, and I was perpetually happy – I’m surprised we were friends at all. Then the Matrix came out. We both saw it.
She came into work the next day more contemplative than usual. I asked her what had her in such a thoughtful mood, and she said, “I saw the Matrix last night. What if that is true? What if we only are living to provide energy for something else?”
I was taken aback. I really didn’t know what to respond. I don’t remember much about the conversation that followed at all. I wish I could look back and say I spoke of man’s purpose in winning terms, told her clearly about my Christianity . . . I know we talked about it, but that conversation didn’t end any differently than any other that I had had with her . . .she laughed at me. But I remember in this situation I felt differently about her laughter. I suddenly looked at her and realized that some of her laughter was because she was slightly envious of my stability, my total lack of fear about purpose in my life.
I may not have represented well in that conversation, but I have thought a lot since then, and maybe next time . . .
CharisRose
Feb 21 2005
12:39 pm
One of the movies that most challenged me was the Matrix. It challenged me indirectly, I guess.
It came out when I was in high school, working at a coffee shop with a girl with some of the most hopeless worldviews. She named her dog after Gaia, the earth goddess that she worshipped when in a worshipping mood. We had discussed many things in the past, most conversations ended with her laughing at me in my sixteen-year-old Christian idealism. She was cynical, and I was perpetually happy – I’m surprised we were friends at all. Then the Matrix came out. We both saw it.
She came into work the next day more contemplative than usual. I asked her what had her in such a thoughtful mood, and she said, “I saw the Matrix last night. What if that is true? What if we only are living to provide energy for something else?”
I was taken aback. I really didn’t know what to respond. I don’t remember much about the conversation that followed at all. I wish I could look back and say I spoke of man’s purpose in winning terms, told her clearly about my Christianity . . . I know we talked about it, but that conversation didn’t end any differently than any other that I had had with her . . .she laughed at me. But I remember in this situation I felt differently about her laughter. I suddenly looked at her and realized that some of her laughter was because she was slightly envious of my stability, my total lack of fear about purpose in my life.
I may not have represented well in that conversation, but I have thought a lot since then, and maybe next time . . .