The Matrix
IMAGE OF THE WEEK
We are grateful to Rupali Bhuva for offering this hand-made painting for this reading.
"Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain. But you feel it. You've felt it your entire life. That there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is but it's there, like a splinter in your mind driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you here."
"The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
What truth? "That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."
"Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"
"Your appearance now is what we call 'residual self-image.' It is the mental projection of your digital self. Is this real? What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, taste and see ... then "real" is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. This is the world that you know."
As long we are plugged into the Matrix, we can never be free. The Matrix is an [illusion], Neo. That illusion is our enemy. When you're aware, what do you see? The minds of business men, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. But until they become aware, these people are still a part of that illusion, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged from the Matrix. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the illusion that they will fight to protect it."
Above are adapted quotes from the movie Matrix.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to being unable to tell the difference between the dream world and the real world? Can you share a personal story of a time that you became aware of living in an illusion? What helps you break through the illusion and connect back to reality?