[Originally published April 29th., 2018 on Wordpress]
INTRODUCTION:
The 1999 Science Fiction film  The Matrix could arguably be one of the most important movies to come out in the past 30 years. For the record, I am not necessarily the biggest fan of the genre of Science Fiction. Also, it isn't the compelling novelty of the advances in special effects, that make this film so poignant, but there the overall moralistic and philosophical messages and allegories. While the film presents the possibility that consciousness is merely a virtual reality simulation and reality itself is an illusion. While some philosophers purpose that this is a prospective paradigm for the true nature of reality, it serves more as a powerful metaphor. Much of what we assume to be real in modern society is contrived. Much of the driving forces in our society, technological applications, currency, etc are intangible constructs that act as living metaphors. For example, paper currency was at one time a physical representation of the gold reserves owned by the United States (in the case of U.S. currency). Granted this was more so applicable prior to the United States prior to our currency deriving its value from the fiat system. However, paper currency is still a figurative representation of a denotation of debt. It becomes even more abstract when you take into account debit/credit card transactions and Cryptocurrency.
What the analogy of consciousness being the byproduct of a virtual reality program, is that our reality is comprised of constructs not existing in the natural world. We become so engrossed in these contrived entities that we perceive them as more real than the natural world. Their significance is artificially instilled and may even be an illusion. We are so enveloped in the servile grasp of social media, it robs of us our time and productivity. At one time technology-based programming such as video games use to be a reprieve from reality, however, such forms of media are so pervasive in our culture that now the novelty of the natural world ( going for a hike in the woods) is more of an escape than typical forms of entertainment. We are being consumed by the illusion of our reality, but also by our dependence on technology. Which is depicted in The Matrix by the servile exploitation of humans perpetrated by the very machines we have created. I would surmise that my interpretation of these core themes in the film may be maligned by many "intellectuals", however, I feel that this is certainly applicable considering our unhealthy relationship with technology.
The plethora of allegories within the film really is reflective in regards to societal issues that we had in regards to technology twenty years ago. However, nearly two decades later it feels as if this hyperbolic commentary was more foreshadowing a heightened dependency on technology. Another inference that can be made is how the film mirrors the premise of the Allegory of the Cave from Plato's Republic. That how the constructs of our world shape our perception of the world much in the same way how the simulation of reality does in the film. Entities such as social media shape our perception of the world in a faulty manner. Until we chose to venture out of the cave or unplug from the matrix then we can see the world with no artificial filter. Analogous to us putting down our cell phones and choosing to actively participate in life. [3].
ARTICLE:
I found this article from a New Age blog detailing steps for escaping the "matrix. I feel that some of these steps we can take towards unplugging can really help us regain much of our humanity.
".....1. Step. The World of Permanent Change
We chase our desires and unfulfilled dreams. We are attracted by money, power, prestige, a wholesome, happy life. All this lies there hidden behind the powerful iron gate that is towering in front of us
Spurred by our ambitions, we pursue various goals all through our lives. We aspire for something all the time, we always want to achieve something. This restless rush is instigated by our fear that we are still not what we want to be. We are never satisfied, we always want something else, we would like to be better, more beautiful, richer than we are at present.
2. Step. The spiritual Seeking
We, however, wish to find the security of permanence in our life. We would like to find what is beyond the world of constant change. In order to do so, we become spiritual seekers.
As the first step of spiritual seeking, we start to look for enlightenment, Self-recognition in the world of shapes and forms (that is, outside ourselves) in the hope of thus reaching the state of permanent happiness. We intend to find a dogma, a great Master, an elevating spiritual experience that expands our Consciousness. If it is not found here on Earth, we will be looking for it in the other world, in the heaven of a religion.
We use the mind as a mean of spiritual search. It is through the mind that the Ego intends to understand what is beyond mind and forms. The mind in this way prepares the mental image of enlightenment, seeking, happiness etc.
The mental images are born through the comprehensive process of the mind. For comprehension, we also require information, so we shall gather bits of information like a busy ant. From books on religion and spirituality, lectures heard and conversations attended, we are attempting to screen information, ideas, opinions, and experience necessary for them. The same takes place with spiritual experience. We assume that if we gather a sufficient amount of experience, as a result, we will reach a certain point, we will increase their spirituality.
These mental images motivate us to make efforts at implementing the mental images at the level of daily life, to make these images the cornerstones of our life. Achieving spiritual objectives, however, affords only momentary satisfaction for us, so after achieving one specific goal, relentlessness returns, urging us to start working for new objectives. The mind produces new mental images, and seeking starts all over again.
3. Step. The Stop
We then go on seeking, until we eventually become tired of the process, and finally recognize its true nature. We stop and abandon spiritual seeking. We recognize that all the objectives we have so far been looking for outside ourselves, are only found within ourselves.
We will stop when we recognize the activities of the mind and refuse to follow it any longer. We realize that with the help of the mind we will not be able to surpass the mind. We will experience that stopping is the inactive moment of the mind, the silence between thoughts. In that silence, we will experience the Consciousness without forms, and recognize that we are in fact the Presence without thoughts. We then leave behind the spiritual seeker, with all the accumulated knowledge and lofty spiritual experience.
4. Step. The Inner Journey
This is the beginning of an inner journey which takes us out from the matrix, beyond the mind. Once we have started our journey, we leave the world behind and abandon everything that has hampered us in our progress. We give up unimportant things in order to be able to concentrate our attention exclusively on the important ones. That is possible by means of a major mental clean-up.
When we begin doing that clean-up in earnest, we will soon face the vast multitude of our thoughts, opinions, ideas and the emotions attached to all these. After a period of time, we realize that we need to abandon all the unimportant things and trivialities since these things will be found false in the light of our inner journey. Then we find ourselves all alone, and realize, that we still have not finished. We are still to shed the shadow that we believed to be ourself.
5. Step. The Awakening: Coming Home
The waking is the awakening of the Consciousness to its own existence through the form and shape that we formerly identified with ourselves. After the great clean up, nothing remains but the empty space.
But if we examine that space closer, we find that it is full of Consciousness, which is the inner peace, quiet and tranquility. We then realize that we are at home. Whatever now happens in that internal space, we must experience that. We must experience whatever life has to offer, there and then in that specific moment. The next moment does not need to bear the burden of the experience of the previous moment.
The question then arises: have we already got rid of the matrix? The emptiness is perfect, but we still must take the last step in order to be completely free.
6. Step. Comeback
That step will take us to the point where our entire journey began. We return to the Matrix, to the world of daily life. We, however, return in a state different from the one in which we departed, since we have undergone considerable changes during our journey. The Mind, the Ego and, together with it, selfishness vanished from ourselves. The emptiness, pulsating with life, and the Consciousness, awakened to its own existence, continue to stay with us.
In this way, the world will be entirely different for us. We no longer feel en urge to run away from it, and we do not submerge in the swamp of identifying with the world. We are now free from all that, and the world is now a new adventure for us. We abandon ourselves into the streams of Life, and we merge with the Universe. In the meanwhile, we help others in awakening and we share the joy of existence and sympathy with everyone we encounter during our spiritual journey.
~From the book:Â Frank M. Wanderer:Â The Revolution of Consciousness: Deconditioning the Programmed Mind ....." [4].
DISCUSSION:
The "Matrix" does truly exist in our society just not in the same manifestation as it does in the film. We can definitely take strides to disconnect from our contrived reality by stepping away from the materialistic and artificial aspects of reality. We can attempt to do so by becoming more connected to nature and the pursuit of deeper ideas and achievements. Keeping up with the Jones is a perpetual task with little to no long-term satisfaction associated with it. A temporary fix for the depth in which we lack, it is like putting a band-aid on cancer. Then when the brief high we achieve from out doing our neighbors in materialistic pursuits, we then self-medicate with social media through being coming absorbed by a warped perception of reality. This cycle of participation in such a shallow system, never really leads towards general happiness. However, if we strive towards the fulfillment of self-actualization and being spiritually sound, you may find the self-confidence to reject the consumerist rat race that we currently embrace.
Foot Notes:
1. (VIDEO)https://youtu.be/jHrbBYE0PrA
2.https://invertedlogicblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/philosophical-rants16-escaping-the-matrix
3.https://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm
4. (Direct Quote/ Excerpt):http://howtoexitthematrix.com/2018/02/16/how-to-exit-the-matrix-in-6-steps/