transmission 037 - what it means to be neo (CAREER WEEK)

The 37th transmission from Starship Commander Miquiel Banks.

Quote

We’re willing to wipe the slate clean and give you a fresh start. All that we’re asking in return is your cooperation in bringing a known terrorist to justice.

• Agent Smith

Introduction

It's no accident that my lecture hall is packed with no seats left.

Our next speaker needs no introduction and I'll let him answer our question today:

• What does it mean to be the Savior?

The mythical character

Let's do the good stuff out the way right now.

First, Neo is an Anagram for the One.

Next, Neo is short for Neophyte, which is translated as:

• a recent convert to a belief

• a beginner or novice

• a newly ordained priest

A lot of power in that name huh?

So, let's go into the Mythical aspects of this name.

Neo is a Mythical Archetype, one of many:

• Hero

• Mentor

• Threshold Guardian

• Herald

• Shapeshifter

• Shadow

• Ally

• Trickster

Chris Vogler argues that "I thought of an archetype as a fixed role. . . I encountered another way of looking at the archetypes . . . not as rigid character roles, but as functions performed temporarily by characters to achieve certain effects in a story."

Neo is stuck in his life as the movie starts.

He has two identities:

• Mr. Anderson

• Neo

As Morpheus and Agent Smith rush to get Neo's acceptance, his duality symbolizes the beginning of all Heroic Journeys.

Most of us, stuck in our rat race lives, exhibit incredible abilities, but do little about it.

Like Neo, we keep wearing the mask of ignorance until something happens and then BAM!

We are given a choice.

And after choosing, the Journey Begins.

The character of Neo

As a Creator, we have to ponder the thought process of the Writer.

In our Matrix Story, we need someone to fulfill the following:

• Main Character/Protagonist

• POV Character for Audience

• Savior Figure

• Rags to Riches Story

Since the story is about The Matrix, our Protagonist should be someone highly adept with computers, but only on the surface.

That's not enough.

Let's make him torn between two worlds, the real world and The Matrix.

Hmmm, let's make him a Computer Writer by day and a Hacker by Night.

And we'll make him focused on the question that we all face - what is the Truth?

With that question burning in his mind, we'll watch him decide to join Morpheus instead of Agent Smith.

With this Journey, the audience will attach to Neo's journey, identify with him, and experience The Matrix as something new.

Had we chosen someone as the Protagonist, we would miss out on a lot of the action because they are "ALREADY FAMILIAR" with The Matrix.

By choosing Neo, we get to follow his Journey and experience CATHARSIS when he evolves and becomes The One.

Shaping the character of Neo

Now that we have his name, his desire, and his journey, let's put our Character into the Story Model (The Second Coming of Christ).

Since Morpheus is the Mentor and the Voice in the Wilderness, we'll make Neo the Savior since he is the Protagonist.

As a Savior Figure, Neo brings an incredible freshness to this Archetype, especially for Modern Audiences.

Today, we use hip words to describe the same concepts:

• Thought Leader

• Nobel Peace Prize Winner

• Visionary

It is a frustrating, especially to literary circles, that our modern world has dulled the "sanctity" of ancient terms like Messiah, Savior, and Griot.

By placing Neo in the world of machines, making him a Hacker, and allowing him to see The Matrix through his Mentor's Eyes (Morpheus), Neo is given a fresh and updated look to what we term as the "Savior of Humanity."

What it means to be the Savior

What does it mean to be a Savior?

Well, it is defined as the following:

• a person who rescues another from harm, danger, or loss

• one who saves, rescues, delivers, or redeems from danger, death, or destruction

• a deliverer

• a redeemer

• a person who helps people achieve salvation

• a person who saves people from something

• one who brings someone back to safety

• one who brings someone back to life

As the Protagonist, Neo is our "EYE" into the Story and as he progresses in his evolution, we experience his journey as our own.

It is this elation, the feeling of overcoming The Matrix, that has a powerful resonant faculty that "remains lit" inside the souls and spirits of us when we watch the film.

Although Neo is the Savior in the Film, it is his journey that "ignites" something inside us and inspires us to step out and become Heroines ourselves.

Conclusion

Now that we know who Neo is, we can put him into the Story as several archetypes:

• Innocent

• Victim

• Passive Hero

• Active Hero

• Sacred Masculine/Savior Figure

With these attributes, his Christian symbolism as "the Savior of Humanity" gives his character deep emotional roots, pillaging into our Spiritual Identities as we imagine ourselves as The Savior.

And we ask the same questions:

• How would I act after the movie ends?

• Would I reshape The Matrix as I see fit?

• Would I destroy The Matrix?

• Would I separate The Machines into Good and Bad?

• Would I gather up the Machines and destroy them all at one time?

It is these questions that give The Matrix resonance, but for those who are on the path, Neo holds a SPECIAL PLACE in our Spirits and Hearts.

Neo sits there, smiling, and we are enamored of what he did.

• And we smile back - I can do that too!

Ladies and Gentlemen, those are the job requirements for being The Savior.

• Do you have any questions?

My Goodness people, Neo can't stay here all night, we must limit it to 20 questions.

Before we go back to Neo, don't forget tomorrow is special because we're going to meet The First Lady, Trinity.

And we're going to listen to her Journey and explore what it means to personify the Sacred Feminine.