The Matrix
The Matrix is one of the most talked about movies of recent time. The first episode was released in March of 1999, quickly followed by several sequels, animated cartoons, comic books, and video games. One of the reasons for the film’s popularity is it surreal action, but even more important is the story line, which many viewers perceive as a metaphor of real life.
The film portrays a future in which the world has been taken over by computers and machines that cultivate human bodies to plug their brains into a global network where they serve as computing assets. They are unaware of their true state because they are programmed to experience a virtual reality in which they believe they are living a pleasant and normal life while, in truth, they are immersed in liquid pods wired up to the Matrix. Their pleasant experiences are just in their minds.
The story centers on a small band of humans who have avoided the Matrix and who are attempting to help others break free. The first step is to get them unplugged, which is no easy task, but the second step is even more difficult. It is to convince them to stay unplugged.
The problem is that reality is harsh and dangerous, whereas the Matrix offers a sense of serenity and comfort.
Once they are unplugged, humans must choose between reality and fantasy, and to do so they are offered two pills. The red pill will bring them all the way into reality. Once it is taken, they can never return to the comfort of delusion. The blue pill will put them back to sleep where they can be reconnected to the Matrix. Many choose the blue pill.
The parallels to modern life are obvious. We are conditioned all our formative years to see only the outward appearance of things and to believe that we are each entirely separate from all others. From time to time, however, most of us get a glimpse of a deeper dimension and feel, if ever so briefly, a certain connectedness with all of life. This is usually dismissed and quickly forgotten, but a few wonder if their experience points to an underlying truth that is profoundly important.
Some of these are led mysteriously to those who have escaped from the Matrix-like illusion, and with their guidance, most earnest inquirers come to recognize the awesome truth of What they really are. Thereafer, these ‘awakened’ ones, or seers as they are sometimes called, live with extraordinary freedom, lightness, joy, peace and compassion — especially for those still in the grip of the ‘Matrix’ system. They are in the world, but no longer of it.
~ Sent in by Remco van Santen – Thanks Rem.
