We saw The Matrix when we were in high school and didn’t really think too deeply about what the movie was trying to tell us. We, like most other viewers, just liked the action scenes and the shooting. We recently watched the movie again and it told us a story that we could relate to. First of all, we had different meanings or ideas associated with the title of the movie The Matrix. When we first saw the movie, we were busy in school and had already taken Linear Algebra and knew the word matrix in the mathematical sense. So when we saw the movie we noticed or picked up on numbers in the movie. However, it wasn’t until we worked in the corporate world that we kept hearing the phrase “matrix organization” where there was a big boss, and under him was four or so lower level bosses and under those were lower level bosses and it kept going on and on. The message of go to work, conform, work hard to get a yearly bonus, and work until you are old enough to retire can be heard from today’s world. It is a world where everyone who wants safety and security must conform and please their bosses. It is a world where behaving like robots is the norm; where creativity and deep thinking is looked upon as unproductive. This is where the masses live their lives.
In the movie, we noticed a lot more suits, not just the agents but employees of large companies who all looked the same – walking in single file to and from work. Many people work throughout their lives living in The Matrix searching for security and safety in their job to secure a single source of income or cashflow while giving up more and more of their freedom, individuality, and precious time.
The robots in the movie needed the humans to stay asleep to give them a secure source of energy. They gave nutrition and cocooned the humans in the pink slimy pits so that they could secure a reliable source of energy. Much like the robots, companies and the government milk employees while giving them just enough nutrition with pay checks, benefits, and the promise of retirement to keep them from wanting to or consciously choosing to wake up from their secure little offices and cubicles.
It’s a struggle between wanting to feel safe and secure and wanting to be free. Humans have a need to feel safe and secure, however if it is taken to the extreme it means giving up all your freedom. Do you want to be totally safe and secure? Just go to jail. Yea prison, the big house, the cell, jail, whatever you want to call it. They feed you, bath you, clothe you, and even groom you. You will get the most security there. That’s why they call it Maximum Security.
Many people don’t make the conscious decision to wake up and start thinking about their financial situation, what their true purpose in life is or what they really want to do. So they jump from job to job looking for a higher raise, or work longer hours, or work in a second job looking to make more money “ thinking that that will solve their financial troubles, and use their money to spend on bigger and bigger toys to smooth their pain or the aching feeling when one’s soul is denied its say. Some even pretend or make themselves believe that what they are doing or living is what they TRUELY want. These people will say: “I love my job. Money is not important. Or Money can’t buy happiness.” Just take their paychecks from them and see if they will stay doing what they are doing at their jobs. There are even people who tear down others who have made it by ridiculing and spreading lies with their worker friends about them just to make themselves sleep better at night.
So have you made the conscious decision to wake up and start taking control of your life and making it the way you want it to be? The real world is not like the movie, The Matrix, where you take a pill and are magically awakened. But I promise you this, if you get to a point in your life where you know the path that lies ahead of you is not where you want to go, you can instantly change your entire course. You just have to want it enough and believe you can do it even though you don’t have all the answers yet; let faith guide you. A word of warning, waking up is just the first step and finding out the path that leads you to where you want to be is another important step. However it is important to realize that it is totally different between knowing the path and walking it. Once you even have clues on where you want to be and do, start. Just start. Take tiny steps and you are already on your way.
Very interesting.I made the same associations to the “agents” in the movies i geuss i just thought i was looking a little to hard.But i never really thought about the machines feeding off the humans.Very interesting i love your writing.Keep it up man.
Interesting article. I agree on your analogy of the matrix and the present work situation.
A top post, very interesting indeed. I like yourself was in school when I first saw it and enjoyed the action. Haven’t seen the film since but your analagy will certainly make me watch it this weekend.
I agree with the getting out of the companies and getting your freedom, but on our way to doing that won’t we become the “robots”?
[...] It is really very, very difficult for someone who has beliefs and thoughts ENGRAINED in their heads, hearts and being to change overnight. My twin and I had refered to this as being awakened – just like the Matrix analogy we wrote about. It is do-able but one has to be hungry enough, to have even pain to want to change. Being awakened is being free from all other influences in your life where you and you alone are in charge of what you put in your heads and can conciously decide what you want in every area of your life. Most will have to go through a lot of depression, physical pain, sadness, or hardship to reach this point. Yet one can even read just 1 sentence and reach this point. In the movie The Matrix mentions or hints that - it is easy to wake someone up from the matrix when they are young and when they reach a certain age they just cant be awakened. Also note that viewing this video – The Secret will most likely NOT awaken you. Again it is not the material that will magically do it, it only happens when you are ready for it and are hungry enough for it. [...]
[...] If you are not fully committed to your decision of “getting out of the rat race” or to become financially free or reaching a definitive net-worth, then you will most likely not succeed or follow through. You will most likely be part of the 97% of people out there who “give it a go” and just give up. Heck these people actully tried thought. There are people who won’t even try. There is a saying: “9 out of every 10 businesses fail” and most people today who are highly educated or have jobs just focus on the failure part of it. They dont realize and FOCUS on the ONE that actually makes it. Maybe because they really never thought about how goooood it feels to have a business or something you own or have created that will feed you, clothe you and let you live more freely. They have to get out of their comfort zones somehow. Again, doing that is simple if you are hungry or are awakened. [...]
[...] This is actually not the first time I flipped through a notebook I used to keep goals and ideas down and found out my goals were actually manifested into reality. I started writing down all my goals one day when I woke up. It was actually at work that I picked up the notebook that all new employees at our company received and started writing down random stuff, ideas, goals, etc. I later read books and heard tapes talking about the magic in this seemingly haphazard, whimsical, and even weak or boring approach to getting things down or staring to achieving something you want in life. I strongly suggest you try this out no matter how crazy it may seem. Also note that you should not care about the size of the goal you set because it is just big in your head. It may appear to be small or weak for others. Just be a kid again and ask for anything you want because LIFE will give it to you if you just ask for it. That’s just my personal opinion. [...]
[...] and found out my goals were actually manifested into reality. I started writing down all my goals one day when I woke up. It was actually at work that I picked up the notebook that all new employees at our company [...]
Very descriptive understanding of the philosophy behind the movie.
I still connot get the whole idea of the matrix and its application on business, but I believe, that there is only one way to get out of these matrix. If you stop believing, that you need to buy all these things. From that point you stop working for the matrix.
The analogy is good but it is incomplete. in the movie its taken to the extreme of what can happen if the system keeps growing and keeps gaining more and more control. but the movie was made to sell tickets and not awaken anything. once you have been awakened i feel that the movie makes more sense than before the awakening but its still missing the reality of this awakening. once you’ve really opened your eyes you can never close them again. the system is not the enemy. it is just the system. its intention is not one to harm and hurt people. its intention is to continue to exsist like everything else. a sacrifice of humans to continue to build buildings and to keep everything running smooth. the only problem with this is when its “you” the system wants to sacrifice. when your life is no longer deemed neccessary by the system theres a problem.