Skip to main content

Gilmore Girls vs. The Matrix or Don't Believe The Oracle

 
Has anyone ever told you who you are or who you are NOT? Did you believe them? It occurred to me that we are all so effected by what people say - how people label us. Of course, my inspiration for this post was after watching The Matrix again. Because all my inspirations are from movies. Wait until I watch Fletch again. :)

In the movie, Morpheus tells Neo that he is the "One" or the one to save the world. He starts to believe him even though he as no evidence to suggest he was the one. Then the Oracle tells Neo he is NOT the one. Now he believes her. Why? Because she is supposed to be the expert. She can foresee the future. It turns out (spoiler alert) he IS the "One."

Another good example of the effects of this is illustrated in the TV show, Gilmore Girls. Rory is told by Mr. Huntzberger, the big newspaper man, that she doesn't have what it takes to be a newspaper editor. She quits Yale.
So yes, my tastes run from The Matrix to Gilmore Girls, but this is not about me. It is about excellent writing - the authors of those shows, not me. My writing is crap.

Wait. I am getting off topic. People cannot define you. People cannot tell you who you are or are not. Oh they like to try, but don't let them. We are so impressionable. The words that people say have so much impact. You will all be able to recall a fight that you and your spouse, beau or family member had when the one of you said something ... horrible. You still remember it and it still hurts. Jeez! Why is this? We all know that people say stupid things in a fight, but somehow, THAT comment has gravity. It is surely a sign that the sayer of such acerbic stupidity has some deep truth that slipped out in anger. No it is not!

So this is not a rant. This is a blog about love. Watch me turn this around. So we know that people are impressionable. They believe anything. Lets use this to our advantage. Start by telling people, especially your kids, that they are geniuses. Tell them that they are most likely to be the next Steve Jobs. Encourage everyone you meet that they are amazing. They just might believe you and it is better than the contrary. There is a fallacy that some will tell you. That they are doing you a favor - saving you from a life of misery, when they tell you that you suck. You will be miserable for years with that conversation running through your brain. You see, NOT saved. It is love to encourage. It is love to tell people that they are good at something.

One short anecdote. Someone at Genevieve's school told her she was a natural at swinging a baseball bat. She came home asked for a ball and bat and now, we practice baseball. Well, not NOW, it is winter. Actually she might go out and play if I ... Genevieve! Play ball!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We don't always equate eating with love. Oh, many of us "love" eating, but how about preparing dinner for friends? There is nothing more lovely than to make a meal for someone. In my last post, my musing about love-only thoughts brought me to making breakfast. As a child, we take food for granted. "What are we having for dinner?" "Liver!" "Awwww, Mom! I eating at Larry's." Last night I attended a dinner party at my dear friends' house. We have gone to several of these 'wine-tasting' themed parties at their house. They are wonderful! With love on my mind, I saw this outing with new eyes. Two of the guests had brought martini makings. Molly and Tom had planned a unique recipe. Molly volunteered to alter the drink in any way that might be more pleasing-more alcohol, less, etc. Meanwhile, Tom was carefully threading candied ginger, a peeled slice of lime and a leaf of basil on a paper umbrella to garnish the drink. The two of
3 comments
Read more

Sometimes we just want to be heard

Genevieve was being a grump. She was tired. Well she should have been, it was bedtime. Bedtime is always a struggle. I don't think my own parents would disagree with that. With seven kids, bedtime must have been torturous. Well, getting the girls to bed sometimes involves screaming (us at them) and sometimes I just grab them by the hand and walk them upstairs and step them through the process. This was not one of the hand holding nights. After fighting to get them upstairs, immediately we hear Genevieve screaming and crying. She was hurt. So we quickly run up the stairs, "What happened?" we exclaim. Only screams and crying could come out. "WHAT HAPPENED?" we say a little louder, as if that could jolt the explanation out over the tears. I suddenly had a flash! It was a memory, a feeling. I still cannot tell whether it was a memory of my Dad or my Mom or a combination of both. Empathy. My voice got higher as my body got lower to the ground. At her level, I c
2 comments
Read more

GIVE PERMISSION

"PEOPLE REALLY PISS ME OFF!" Have you ever said/thought that? Some days it seems like the world is against us. But the truth of the matter is, the people in the world are not thinking about you much at all. That !@#$%^&*ing person that cut you off on freeway was just doing what they needed to do for themselves. The perception that the person was trying to maliciously scoot in front of you to cause you to slam on your brakes and threaten your life is no more true than the opposite of that. That is right. Both the worst truth and the best truth exist at the same time. Let me explain.Your experience of the truth happens entirely in your brain. You write a play, cast the characters, give them rich histories and endow them with emotions...in your mind. This happens with everything. Since you don't have all the facts, you fill in facts based on your experience, your instincts, your emotions. This is creative energy. Have you ever seen the test that looks like this: Aro
2 comments
Read more