Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
I never really enjoyed The Matrix until I started understanding all the Christian undertones. For the past couple of years, God seems to have reiterated a resounding theme throughout each one of my school semesters. One time it was about being proactive, another time it was about loneliness, another time it was about faith. This semester has undoubtedly been about perspective. Driving a car is different from riding in a car. Flying in a plane is different from jumping out of a plane. Hanging out with Singaporeans has definitely been different from representing Singapore. So in the end, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is truth but Jesus Christ because everything else is just based on human perspective (that in itself is continually changing). I think two major events brought me to this view:
1) Grad school - Turns out teachers know squat about their subject and textbooks only contain perspectives passed off for fact; in other words, that whole 3rd grade English assignment where you had to differentiate the "fact" phrases from the "opinion" phrases is completely and utterly useless
2) That fateful day in 2006 when Pluto disappeared from my solar system
Incidentally, I'm a real sucker for pleasing everyone, which is something I've never really liked about myself. Trying to please too many people tends to produce an outcome that never pleases anyone. But I think this blessing (or curse) has stemmed from the ability (or disability) of being able to relate to or to see multiple viewpoints. So, what's interesting to me is that Jesus never outrightly says, "Change your perspective." You can't even find the word "perspective" in the NIV translation of the Bible (but I'm not sure about the other translations). Instead, he gives parables and instructions such as "Do to others what you would have them to do to you" and "Love your enemies" to show us how to seek, not a different perspective for the sake of getting a different perspective, but Truth. With his parables of withering fig trees, prodigal sons, lost coins, and all other illustrations, I think that he hopes that some day we'll truly realize that "there is no spoon". After all, Jesus did say:
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light; no one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
3 comments:
I love the matrix!!
I am going to need some help though -- how does the spoon thing tie in to perspective and Jesus being the way, the truth, and the light? hehe (For those who don't know me - I am slow at getting stuff, sorry)
Very well written -you express so much that I want to but never know how to!
the spoon thing was just to illustrate how we should search for Truth by looking past the obvious things in front of us. so, in essence, Jesus also teaches us to "look past the spoon" to see that things that appear one way are generally due to how we perceive it and not necessarily Truth. how many times do we think a task is difficult at hand only to arrive at a simple solution? same thing. :)
So here are a few good examples of what K is talking about: Impossibility Doctrine, of course a Terry Rush entry, which maybe he has been checkin' our blog out cause he wrote this just today!
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