Subjunctive Spanish Wedding

Antonio Asis , movement as art. That There Are

The previous quote is from the author Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). I believe the second part is what has the most relevance to our time: “years that answer.” Has this idea turned our present generations off to asking questions? We live in the era of the Internet when answers are given to us instantaneously. To that effect, one can recall the wise words of Pablo Picasso, “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” The overabundance of information that can be accessed with a click is taken for granted. Procrastination has replaced curiosity, and Facebook has killed our stimulation.

Agora (2009), directed co-written and directed by Alejandro Aménabar, is a historical drama set in ancient Roman Egypt. Amongst the numerous themes we are presented with, a partial view of Hypatia of Alexandria, a well-recognized philosopher of the time, is at the center. She dedicates her life to philosophy and to the slow study of this planet that lies at the center of the universe…or does it? There is a crucial war unfolding before her eyes where the everlasting fight between Christianity and Judaism clash over slavery, poverty, unjust government, etc. But our Hypatia is not concerned with these trivial matters of human behavior; not only are they quite predictable, but hopeless. Instead, she spends her time wondering about the universe, or more specifically, the rotating stars around the Earth. Where does this force that pulls everything back to the ground come from? If the sun revolves in a perfect circle around the Earth, why does the length of the days differ with the seasons? While her loved ones closest to her fought over whom God belonged to, Hypatia was determined to uncover the fundamental nature of her existence. Much in opposition to present femininity stereotypes, this woman was not interested in love or in finding her perfect man (Not that there’s anything wrong that, but Agora is probably one of the few movies that allow things to happen as they should without pushing some Hollywood romance.) Then again, and very much in accordance to real femininity, Hypatia is zealously moved by the truth; the peaceful truth that connects that same God that men were fighting over with the universe that embodies them all. It is heartbreaking to see the men in power enraged and frustrated at her “lack of interest and support” with the conflictive issues of the time without realizing that, not only is she interested, but she is the only one getting to the bottom of matters. Everyone is so blinded by vengeance and pulling God to their side that they are missing the essence of the problem. At the verge of discovering that, not only does the sun not rotate around Earth, but that the Earth does not move in a perfect circle, Hypatia is captured and killed for heresy. Just like today, we see the characters concerned only with things happening in front of their eyes and letting the other 99% of the world go right past them. What is a human war in comparison with our planetary system? Who is a Christian or a Jew to say who God is? I think Hypatia represents a very humane impulse embedded in people that questions our surroundings and seeks to understand and to connect.

There is much beauty and genuineness to be found in Aménabar’s Agora. I find it would do us good to find our inner Hypatia and rediscover all that surrounds us. It seems like the more we close up into ourselves, the farther we move from the questions we should ask. Sometimes the trivial ideas in our everyday lives that shape the world Which May Appear surround us as real as anything, But it is important to remember There is a truer world Out There That May hold the answers we seek.


"Brick by Brick" by Artist Nathan Sawaya