Eliicia Villasenor

OGL 340
Nov 5, 2019
Spitting Out the Hook
Spitting Out the Hook

In the video of The Matriz, Neo (Keanu Reeves) was nearly ready to give up in the

middle of his fight. The enemies knocked him down and had no mercy on him, he was fighting

back until he became weak and defeated. When his partner began speaking motivational words

to him, it uplifted him. He got back up, handled the fight smoothly and with courage, and won.

Even with dozens of bullets headed his way, he faced them and was able to stop the force of the

bullets. This can serve to the Spitting Out the Hook strategy because Neo stopped to allow the

enemy to react, took in their anger and in a way accepted their feelings of anger, then he reacted

with a clear and focused mind. Sometimes conflict arises unexpectedly or it happens with

someone who holds a grudge or harbors feelings of hate against another person; sometimes

conflict can make us feel exhausted, hopeless or defeated in the same way Neo had felt. This is

why it is important to not respond on negative emotions because then we will keep getting

“hooked” and nothing will get fixed.

The Aikido method is about de-escalating conflict and resolving it in a clear and calm

manner. Mindfulness plays a big role in Aikido because it involves having self-control over

thoughts and emotions by being fully present. When we are fully present and not allowing our

thoughts or emotions to control our responses or reactions to conflict then it has a way of

resolving the actual issue at hand. In the clip from The Matrix, Neo directed his focus on the

issue at hand and was able to defeat his enemies, thus ending the conflict. This can also be

related to the Four Steps in an Aikido: Neo was able to win the fight at the end because he was

centered (calm, relaxed present), he welcomed the bullets, he blended with his enemies by not

allowing himself to get hooked, and he lead by taking the fight where he wanted it to go.