Surrogates

Did you see the movie The Surrogates (2009) starring Bruce Willis? I'm not writing a film review here, but I do recommend this movie for two reasons:

#1 Bruce Willis stars in it, which is always a good thing. :-)

#2 The situation in the movie is a powerful spiritual metaphor.

I don't have much more to say about Bruce Willis at the moment, so will elaborate instead about this spiritual metaphor thing. I promise not to spoil the movie for you.

Here's the basic plot: In the future people own robots that look like themselves. These robots, called surrogates, are life-like and are designed so that the person can feel and taste and live life through the surrogate. The person sends his surrogate out while he himself sits in a "stim chair" from which he can direct the surrogate and feel all the things that happen through his surrogate. The idea is that it is safer to send your surrogate to the office than to go there yourself. There is almost no crime since people have started using surrogates and people supposedly have more fulfilling and fun lives. Through the surrogates, they can present a perfected, beautiful version of themselves and do whatever they want because they can't be hurt. The surrogates, by the way, are all pretty much gorgeous with no physical flaws. They either look like their "host" or not, but no one really cares because no one sees the host. He or she is at home sitting in the "stim chair" living life virtually.

All is well until there is trouble in paradise. Then the plot thickens and Bruce Willis does his thing -- first as a surrogate (smooth face, full head of hair) and then -- when his surrogate gets "killed" -- as himself (the scruffy Bruce Willis we all know).

After watching the movie, my spiritual metaphor-type question was: How often do I send my surrogate out instead of myself? How often do I sit in my "stim chair" holding myself out of the action and staying separate while my surrogate interacts. My surrogate, by the way, is happy, enthusiastic and always insists, if anyone asks, that it is okay. It smiles a lot, is quite pleasant and has a good sense of humor. Meanwhile I'm sitting in my chair not really noticing how I'm feeling or what's going on with me. Hmmm.

How about you? Do you have a surrogate? Whether you call it your personality or ego or false self, the surrogate is the face you show to the world. It keeps you (the real you) safe.

I'm not saying that we have to be brutally real all the time (like scruffy Bruce Willis), but that maybe we (I) need to pay more attention to the one in the stim chair.

Thank you for listening and good night.