Morpheus: I see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, that's not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.
Morpheus: I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Neo: The Matrix.
Morpheus: Do you want to know…what it is?
[Neo nods]
Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work…when you go to church…when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: [leans in closer to Neo] That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind.
[pause]
Morpheus: Unfortunately, no one can be…told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. [opens pillbox, empties contents into his palms, outstretches his hands] This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill [opens his right hand revealing blue pill], the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill [opens his left hand revealing red pill], you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. [Neo, after a pause, reaches for the red pill] Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
This scene from the 1999 movie classic, The Matrix, is one of my favorite dialogues between characters. It's incredibly deep and takes awhile to wrap one's mind around even after replaying a few times.
This conversation alludes to a regular person [Neo] who instinctively feels that something is wrong with the world and he seeks to find answers by seeking out the Truth.
What do we do when we, ourselves, become lost and cannot see the path? How do we make sense of what we cannot see, hear, touch, or taste? When our physical senses have fallen short, we can always rely upon our spiritual sense to guide us.
Long ago our ancestors circumnavigated the globe using the light from the stars to orient themselves and make sense of their position. This is not far off from the metaphor of looking to the heavens for guidance.
The world is at war with the spirit, going so far as to even deny its existence (A necessary stance in order to enslave others). It is focussed only on itself, the here and now. To those plugged in to the world, hearing the messages broadcast throughout radio, television, movies, and advertising, we hear the path to happiness lies in acquiring wealth, or indulgent consumption of material, food, and drink. It's all about getting ahead through earthly pleasures; however, these temporary highs never seem to last, like a spoiled child whose parents indulge their every whim. The story rarely ends with true satisfaction and instead the more likely outcome is that the child grows up without the ability to free themselves from material dependence thereby becoming a slave to worldly vices such as ego, jealousy, lust, and greed.
The spiritual world cannot be experienced by those entrenched in the material world (one would have to first learn to empty themselves of their ego). The further we entangle ourselves with earthly pleasures to meet our happiness needs, the more difficult it becomes to interact with the spirit world. Most of us have heard that true happiness comes from within, and this is true because when our spirit experiences joy it flows from inside ourselves.
One of the ways that I've come to interact with the spirit world has been through observing the behavior of other human beings that have been blessed with incredible abilities to influence the world. These individuals have been famous athletes, musicians, and priests, each of whom give credit and testimony to the Almighty, God the Father, for their talents and skill. The source of their abilities, they claimed, flowed from their spirit.
(In order to test his skill, the musician Prince wrote and released music under different names and artists to see if his work would be recognized and commercially successful; it was. His ego was not tied to his name.)
Most film and music production companies control what the masses see and hear. They determine who becomes a star for the people to idolize and in turn buy their records or pay tribute to see their films. These production studios operate like modern day Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Sadducees, or mafia with enough power to get away with rape, manipulation, and murder which they commit in darkness and in secret.
But every now and then, a human blessed with the Holy Spirit rises to the top of the public eye with their own "God given" talent and wins the adulation of the masses which takes profit away from the corrupt studios who try to control or intimidate these stars. They did it with Prince and Muhammad Ali. But instead of buckling under mafia/government pressure these stars placed their faith in God who protected them and in turn they glorified His holy name.
See for yourself which of your favorite 'stars' is a spiritless puppet and who is actually a person of divine character. People mostly cheer for the stars with enormous egos, who seem to glamorize earthly pleasures; however when we ourselves are lost and unhappy which stars can we look to find guidance and direction?
The Holy spirit hides in plain sight among us. It inhabits the bodies of those who welcome it into their own spirit allowing regular people to accomplish incredible feats, to stand up to behemoths and win. Unless we learn to recognize the Spirit's presence we will always be slaves to the material world, like mindless zombies chasing ways to (temporarily) satisfy our earthly hungers.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit, and may you witness and bear testament to its amazing ability to transform your life! Wake up from the matrix, forget what you think you know, empty your old ego and narcissism. Make room for the Spirit and be guided by heaven's light!
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him." Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again of water and the Spirit."
― John 3:2-5
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.
Morpheus: I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Neo: The Matrix.
Morpheus: Do you want to know…what it is?
[Neo nods]
Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work…when you go to church…when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: [leans in closer to Neo] That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind.
[pause]
Morpheus: Unfortunately, no one can be…told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. [opens pillbox, empties contents into his palms, outstretches his hands] This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill [opens his right hand revealing blue pill], the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill [opens his left hand revealing red pill], you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. [Neo, after a pause, reaches for the red pill] Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
This scene from the 1999 movie classic, The Matrix, is one of my favorite dialogues between characters. It's incredibly deep and takes awhile to wrap one's mind around even after replaying a few times.
This conversation alludes to a regular person [Neo] who instinctively feels that something is wrong with the world and he seeks to find answers by seeking out the Truth.
What do we do when we, ourselves, become lost and cannot see the path? How do we make sense of what we cannot see, hear, touch, or taste? When our physical senses have fallen short, we can always rely upon our spiritual sense to guide us.
Long ago our ancestors circumnavigated the globe using the light from the stars to orient themselves and make sense of their position. This is not far off from the metaphor of looking to the heavens for guidance.
The world is at war with the spirit, going so far as to even deny its existence (A necessary stance in order to enslave others). It is focussed only on itself, the here and now. To those plugged in to the world, hearing the messages broadcast throughout radio, television, movies, and advertising, we hear the path to happiness lies in acquiring wealth, or indulgent consumption of material, food, and drink. It's all about getting ahead through earthly pleasures; however, these temporary highs never seem to last, like a spoiled child whose parents indulge their every whim. The story rarely ends with true satisfaction and instead the more likely outcome is that the child grows up without the ability to free themselves from material dependence thereby becoming a slave to worldly vices such as ego, jealousy, lust, and greed.
The spiritual world cannot be experienced by those entrenched in the material world (one would have to first learn to empty themselves of their ego). The further we entangle ourselves with earthly pleasures to meet our happiness needs, the more difficult it becomes to interact with the spirit world. Most of us have heard that true happiness comes from within, and this is true because when our spirit experiences joy it flows from inside ourselves.
One of the ways that I've come to interact with the spirit world has been through observing the behavior of other human beings that have been blessed with incredible abilities to influence the world. These individuals have been famous athletes, musicians, and priests, each of whom give credit and testimony to the Almighty, God the Father, for their talents and skill. The source of their abilities, they claimed, flowed from their spirit.
(In order to test his skill, the musician Prince wrote and released music under different names and artists to see if his work would be recognized and commercially successful; it was. His ego was not tied to his name.)
Most film and music production companies control what the masses see and hear. They determine who becomes a star for the people to idolize and in turn buy their records or pay tribute to see their films. These production studios operate like modern day Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Sadducees, or mafia with enough power to get away with rape, manipulation, and murder which they commit in darkness and in secret.
But every now and then, a human blessed with the Holy Spirit rises to the top of the public eye with their own "God given" talent and wins the adulation of the masses which takes profit away from the corrupt studios who try to control or intimidate these stars. They did it with Prince and Muhammad Ali. But instead of buckling under mafia/government pressure these stars placed their faith in God who protected them and in turn they glorified His holy name.
See for yourself which of your favorite 'stars' is a spiritless puppet and who is actually a person of divine character. People mostly cheer for the stars with enormous egos, who seem to glamorize earthly pleasures; however when we ourselves are lost and unhappy which stars can we look to find guidance and direction?
The Holy spirit hides in plain sight among us. It inhabits the bodies of those who welcome it into their own spirit allowing regular people to accomplish incredible feats, to stand up to behemoths and win. Unless we learn to recognize the Spirit's presence we will always be slaves to the material world, like mindless zombies chasing ways to (temporarily) satisfy our earthly hungers.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit, and may you witness and bear testament to its amazing ability to transform your life! Wake up from the matrix, forget what you think you know, empty your old ego and narcissism. Make room for the Spirit and be guided by heaven's light!
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him." Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again of water and the Spirit."
― John 3:2-5
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