I was recently watching The Matrix. Actively watching and listening for deeper signs than when I had watched it before. Yet, that’s not what I’m going to write about. I’m going to talk about walking. That and Laurence Fishburne.

I remember the first time that I watched Deep Cover. That is one hell of a movie. Deep and over the top, representative of so many of America’s issues at the time and still now. One of the most poignant parts of the movie was this part where I saw the character that Laurence Fishburne was playing walk. His walk was sleek and slow, deliberate, like a jungle cat wandering it’s territory. That forever changed the way I observed my physical movement and how I presented myself in that sense. Of course, there is no need to say it, but I’m going to say it anyway, Laurence Fishburne has got some serious style! To the point that a typical over the top, almost campy 90s movie affected my philosophy of movement in the world and changed how I perceived myself as a man and how I move.

It may not seem important to some, banal to others, but this is a little bit about me that I had forgotten. Here’s to Morpheus. Here’s to Larry Fishburne.

Now that I’ve mentioned Morpheus, we must talk about The Matrix now. This time around, I’m very focused on details. I’m very focused on the role of Morpheus, his role as the teacher of The One. His methodology and his pedagogy. It is interesting, especially the scene where Neo ends up taking the red pill. The entire conversation is worth watching several times to pick up on everything. From the word choice to the inflections to the spatial relationship between Morpheus and Neo. He is the mentor, the teacher, the master, the father figure, the captain. What a difficult position. One must have ironclad conviction forged in the hottest of fires to lead with such inspiration. An archetype to use as an example for leadership.