Black and White Keanu Image: Men’s Journal
What Does Keanu Reeves Have to Do with Wellness and Self-Improvement?
He’s a breath of fresh air, and like most cultural icons promoted to god-like status, he shines a light on our cultural frustrations and what we want to see and feel. In a world where people vie for popularity, claim to be experts, and showcase their lives, Keanu is an anomaly we crave.
He is the internet’s boyfriend. Fan artwork about him ranges from being the prince Disney princesses deserve, to a saint turning water to wine. Yes, he’s a movie star and that is certainly a part of the allure, but what elevates him is what he does off camera.
This social embrace got me thinking, what is it about Keanu that makes the world adore him?
How Do We Love Thee? Let Us Count the Ways
Don’t Make It About Yourself
In interviews, he always takes the spotlight away from himself. He’ll talk about his co-stars, stuntmen, which he mentions by their full name, but he stays away from tooting his own horn.
In fact, other people talk about how giving, down-to earth, and kind he is. Paparazzi catches him in endearing moments: giving a seat to a stranger in a subway, hanging out with a homeless person, chatting with fellow stranded passengers and charming them. In his own wrap party, he waited in line outside the club and didn’t tell the bouncer who he was. Like most stories about Keanu, this was told by a spectator who was surprised to see him doing simple acts of humility.
Love Spending Time with Yourself
Pictures of Keanu are usually of him alone, eating, riding his motorcycle. He practices JOMO, Joy of Missing Out.
Someone told me the other day that he felt bad for single people because they are lonely all the time. I told him that’s not true. I’m single and I don’t feel lonely. I take myself out to eat, buy myself clothes. I have great times by myself. Once you know how to take care of yourself, company becomes an option and not a necessity.
Keanu
Sometimes I go out and hear people talk about irrelevant things and then I tell myself this is why I don’t go out.
Keanu
Tap into Your Creative Side
Keanu is not only an actor–he writes poetry and currently has two published book of poems, Ode to Happiness and Shadows. He is also a musician.
Art is about trying to find the good in people, and making the world a more compassionate place.
Keanu
Money is Important, but It’s Not Everything
Keanu admits to being entrepreneurial. He produces films and also owns a company that manufactures motorcycles, Arch Motorcycle. But money is not priority.
Money doesn’t mean anything to me. I’ve made a lot of money, but I want to enjoy life and not stress myself building my bank account. I give lots away and live simply, mostly out of a suitcase in hotels. We all know that good health is much more important.
Keanu
Respectful and Romantic
Keanu is a romantic, but not in the traditional sense, such as seeing him take a girl out to a fancy place or buying expensive gifts. He’s romantic in his ideas about relationships and the way he interacts with women.
It’s always wonderful to get to know women, with the mystery and the joy and the depth. If you can make a woman laugh, you’re seeing the most beautiful thing on God’s Earth.
Keanu
He’s known for not touching women when taking pictures with them, and keeping his relationships private.
Falling in love and having a relationship are two different things.
Keanu
Philosophical
Keanu always seems to have a short and profound answer to life questions, such as death, love, society…
Practice Humility
As one of the few Asian-American actors to make it big in Hollywood, Keanu doesn’t claim to be a spokesperson or a teacher for larger racial and social issues:
I hope that whatever opportunities I’ve had, or the work that I’m doing, in some way can entertain and can also—I don’t want to say teach—but have something of value come out of it.
Keanu
Help Those in Need
Octavia Spencer shared a story of how her car broke down in a posh Beverly Hills neighborhood in the 90s. Stuck in the middle of the road with car covered in bird poop, she felt mortified. Until a man in sunglasses walked towards her and offered to push her car to the side of the road. When the crowd realized it was Keanu helping, more people offered assistance. This was before Octavia reached superstar status.
