"You're Doing It Peter!" - On Hook, Escaping the Matrix, and the Science of Imagination

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When I was younger, I used to wonder if I would ever “grow up.”

Peter Pan has always been my favorite story and in the 90s, I was obsessed with Robin Williams’ Hook (and it’s still my favorite movie of all time). In the film, there is an iconic scene where Peter and the Lost Boys are sitting down to eat. The boys are feasting, shoving fistfuls of food into their mouths, while Peter sees only empty bowls and plates. When he asks Tink what gives, she drops a truth bomb that so many humans have forgotten when she says,

“If you can’t imagine yourself being Peter Pan, you won’t be Peter Pan.”

I believe that certain movies — kids’ movies especially — hold the blueprints for the highest reality. The messages they convey are often those of love, acceptance, authenticity, and magic. It’s why I would much rather watch a Disney movie than the absolute garbage that Hollywood keeps churning out and why I will never, ever be someone who watches violent films or horror movies. (Be conscious of what you consume, friends. Everything is energy and your subconscious is always listening.)

I realize that I am so drawn to whimsical and fantastical films and stories because they reflect who I am. I am just as excited now at 36 to sit down and watch A Little Princess or an episode of Sailor Moon with my young daughter as I was when I was her age because —

I will never outgrow magic.

In these types of stories, I often find messages in them, and Hook is no different (which is why it resonates so much). Hook teaches a deep and profound truth that people like me are highly attuned to: believing in the unseen is how we build a better life. It’s also how we “break out of the matrix,” so to speak.