In the movie The Matrix, Neo begins to see a code that underlies the illusion of a real world. He's able to use his perception of the code to his benefit, seeing the actions of others more slowly and with a high degree of accuracy in his predictions. There are days in my life when I feel as though I'm seeing human behavior around me through the lense of a code that is highly predictable, with only the occassional unpredictable glitch.
A man dies, his friends say he was always smiling and making people laugh (I've yet to meet a living person who fits this description). I inch forward while at a red light, every car around me proceeds to also inch forward. I look up at the ceiling, the person sitting across from me will look up at the ceiling, too. I take part in a ceremony of some kind, then I wait for somebody to insist I pose for pictures that will eventually get lost in the bottom of a cardboard box in their attic. On Thanksgiving, there's a table prayer followed by turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. I sneeze, somebody says "Bless you!"
"I love you." ---> "I love you, too."
"How are you?" ---> "Good, and you?" ---> "Good."
I propose trying the following: when somebody sneezes, DON'T SAY BLESS YOU (is a sneeze really such a dire infliction that the creator of the universe must intervene?); when an audience gives a standing ovation for an unextraordinary moment, CONTINUE TO SIT IN YOUR CHAIR; when somebody asks you how you're doing, and you're having a shitty day, SAY YOU'RE SHITTY (one time I scored a free cookie from a waitress doing this); when you host a Thanksgiving dinner, ORDER PIZZA; when a jerk dies, it's okay to remember that he was a jerk. Don't pretend he wasn't. On Valentine's Day buy your lover a dozen doughnuts instead of roses; for a wedding gift buy the bride and groom Monopoly instead of a crock pot. Tomorrow eat chicken wings for breakfast and waffles for supper. Call in sick tomorrow and stay home watching movies all day without showering...even though you feel GREAT.
Let's tear the Matrix down!
