Saturday, July 05, 2008

If asked I will say it is The Journal's fault, but here I go with my take of Wall-e. I'll make it easy to you so I won't praise it. We both know you will love it. So... is it too much to ask "Why did Pixar used magic at the climax?" Please, my friends, DO NOT read this entry unless you want spoilers.
I went with dulce to see that movie. To me, it was kind of sad that pixar went the easy route. Let me point you the scene. Here's EVE maniacally rebuilding Wall-e when she founds he is now just a Waste Allocation Load Lifter. It is touching. He doesn't have a soul, if you replace the brain, you replace him. Of course, I rooted for a happy ending. Pixar went for the spark. A magic charge who somehow restores wall-e's personality. WHY? Couldn't they make it so that EVE teaches him how to live as he did it to her? Of course not, we have 5 minutes to close the movie. And deep down we wouldn't believe that was the real wall-e. The real one cared for a roach. This new embodiment may not. "We need a spontaneous connection that trascends logic. Love must win." I can hear it.
Bullshit. EVE could have connected the old memory to this new chipset setting wall-e away from the spec. That would still be love, just not sparky. However dulce didn't thought the same. "It was already stretching credibility to see robots falling in love. The spark is just the same." I have to differ. I think this Pixar movie brings an unintended message. Free will means not following your directive. Wall-e wasn't self aware because of old clips. On the contrary, because he had personal desires, he watched that movie. Wall-e grew a self the day he disobeyed his function. The day he said "This is not garbage, this has value." BNL programmed his kind for one task, "Clean this mess". His merit is in making his own destiny in a world where others see no paradise. (And in doing so, inspiring others to take charge of their own.)
EVE got the same treatment. Why did she changed? How could they love? I think those questions are entwined. Anything that has predilections and enough complexity should be able to fall in love. That's my thesis. Of course that lowers the barrier, and people think that makes love something cheap. However, these are the same people who think without a heaven-granted goal, life is meaningless so go figure. Falling in love must be realizing that both share the same basic path. That contrary to what is seen, deep down it is the same road. EVE's nature was finding a good environment to raise kids (how femenine). EVE must have thought of that place as a static one. Search this, then the next and so on until you find it. Wall-e's lesson is that you grow your place. That epiphany must be the key to EVE finding value in that messy robot. And once you find worthiness outside your directive, all bets are off. EVE could dance, something totally useless to her function.
Well, enough over analization. Life's good so keep moving.

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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Living in a wheelchair isn't easy. That part everyone seems to agree. Yet, people don't really imagine how hard it is. They can foresee some problems, but the real lesson, well by now I now I don't know. Today, all day, I have been living without using my legs. Life's face is kind of familiar and that makes you feel as if you knew it. That's the danger, I guess. For start, you discover that the floor matters. You really wonder why anyone would want a carpet for the office. They aren't cheap, nor clean... but inside you know, it's just a pain in the... to move through it. Four times harder than usual. Yes, you avoid ladders, and use the elevator, but the real issue is you can't be around people. Maybe it was just me. I wasn't sure I wouldn't hurt someone by accident with this huge artifact. Twice I hit dulce by mistake. And she was trying to help me :/
Then, there's the stares. At first I thought, strangers are much more nicer to me. Then I bumped. That was no education, it was condescension. Am I reminding them how fragile life is? Once in a door, I prompted a girl to pass before me (trying to be a gentlemen), she didn't like it. She felt bad. At lunch all my friends want to the microwave ovens, to heat their food. At first I didn't knew, but somehow I didn't want to be near the crowd. In the corridors, I'm using the lonely ones. People continue trying to help me, but a little part of me says "Why? I can do it myself. Thanks"
This chair impose a division between "normal" people and guys with this thing. Before lunch I made a joke about my chair. I could see guilt in the eyes of people around me. As if they couldn't laugh because of fear.
Of course, this event also has a bright side. I'm seeing all with new eyes. I had to cross a bridge and I ended exhausted. I like that. I could see my friends cheering me up and when needed they were there. I couldn't feed the ducks today, but nonetheless I'm making my everyday life as usual as I can. Is this what life is for the rounded legs people?

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