When it first came out in 1999, I saw The Matrix. Everyone said it was so great.
I hated it.
As an action movie, it was wonderful.
What I hated was its philosophy.
The premise to The Matrix is this: that all the good things around us are an illusion, are not real. But bad things are real.
That's it. That's the premise of The Matrix.
That all the good and wonderful things around us are not real, are an illusion. But that there are bad things that are real.
Everything Everywhere All at Once begins like The Matrix.
There are so many parallels.
That is because Everything Everywhere All at Once is a philosophical Answer to The Matrix.
First things first.
Everything Everywhere makes one thing clear:
If it is true of the good things, than it is true of the bad things.
If the good things don't matter, than nothing matters.
If one is not real, they are both not real.
And then Everything Everywhere stares the nothingness right in its face.
Embodies it as the Everything Bagel.
We do not give in to despair because we think that the good things are not real and the bad things are.
We give in to despair because nothing makes sense.
We give in to despair because nothing seems to matter- the bad things or the good things.
Everything Everywhere All at Once then spends the rest of the movie staring that in the face
Embodied as the Everything Bagel
And looking for an answer.
Until Waymond, Evalyn's husband, gives us the answer.
I will not spoil the surprise.
But I will give you my answer instead.
The answer is kindness and love, and to look for good things.
The answer is kindness.
Give kindness, send love out into the world, and that, at least, will matter.
And do not depend upon what is out there.
Pay no attention if it makes no sense.
Do not rely on what is out there to make any sense.
This is what The Buddha taught.
Do not rely on what is out there.
If you do not rely on it, it cannot hurt you.
But you can control what you send out there.
Send out kindness, the best you can.
Do not worry if you fail. For that is beyond your control.
Only send out kindness the best you can.
And look for things to enjoy.
You will find them.
That is my answer.
You can find Waymond's answer by watching the movie.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is an answer to The Matrix, and to absurdism, and to the existential crisis.
And The Buddha, Marcus Aurelius, and the old sages (such as Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, and Adi Shankara, and the Sufi sages) all offer an answer too.
God loves you! Look for the light, and in time you will find something good! Don't expect it to make sense, just enjoy it when it Is good, and don't worry about the rest!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson