It has been over a month since I last blogged @ Livin' Free. Nikhil had it to himself and I am glad he came out with his story and hope it appealed to all of you, my friends. My last semester exams have ended and I have nothing much to do than watch movies, play games, read stuff, eat and most importantly sleep like a lion!
I sincerely apologize to the most hardcore movie buffs for the next sentence - I saw The Matrix Trilogy (The Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions) yesterday; hats off to the Wachowski Brothers and the entire crew who have created this Masterpiece. In the trilogy too, like most times, I have found something I can learn from and hence would be sharing it on the blog. Though, improbable it might be but for those who have not yet viewed the movies (people like my father who are still on the 'dark side' regarding the matter just as I was 2 days back!), I will request you to acquire them first and go through it before continuing further as that will help me reach up to you better.
(if the reader happens to meet me, he/she can just get it from me as I assure you I wont press the delete button on these films for life!)
The movies are set in the future where machines have control over the human race. Humans have been reduced to being mere bio-thermal batteries powering the machines. Mathematically, a matrix is an array of characters which are governed by a certain set of specific rules. Through my previous blogs, I have always maintained that ignorance is the greatest threat to freedom and that is what forms the base of the Matrix. In the movies, the Matrix is a big jail of human minds; minds unaware of the reality, ignorant about the truth - the truth of a machine rule. Machines have imprisoned the human minds in a simulated world, a gigantic software program made up of 'n' number of sub-softwares in a great mesh in which human minds have been plugged into; made to believe that they are living a 'normal' life. This software is similar to the real world where humans are sensitive to changes and yet it is not the real deal, it is the ultimate illusion. There are softwares for all emotions, actions, perceptions, senses, natures, events and work processes under the sun! As the plot proceeds, few men are awakened from the Matrix and are aware of the reality of the dominance of the Machines and hence are in continued struggle for survival and freedom against them. Now, even the machines are aware of the law of opposites; we appreciate the existence of love because there is hatred; we realize the importance of goodness (पुण्य) because there is evil (पाप); we value happiness as there is sadness or grief. So, the universe is all about unbalancing the equations of life and re-balancing them with the opposite continuing the cycle. To neutralize the threat which this law possesses to the machine rule, in fixed cycles, the machines themselves liberate 23 humans from the matrix who rally around "The One" (the Human Messiah freed from the Matrix itself and possessing great powers of altering its parameters); then they fight against the machines, their destruction follows and then the re-birth of the resistance with 23 new fighters from the Matrix along with a new "The One" and this continues. By setting this up, the machines control the entire drama by balancing the equations to maintain rhythm. Thus, the trilogy goes on to depict how this tradition is discontinued this time around i.e. in the 6th cycle. This leads to disruption of the machines' dominance cycle; meanwhile, like it happens with all forces looking to impress their rule upon others, the machines too have created a master program named Smith whose power starts increasing exponentially as it becomes self-aware. Smith is the evil opposite of "The One" and his uncontrolled growth threatens to destroy the Matrix leading to the death of all those plugged into it which eventually would also terminate the machines who are totally dependent on the human bio-thermal energy to survive. This situation is unacceptable for the machines and hence a deal with them is brokered where "The One" defeats the Virus Smith by sacrificing himself and in return the humans are promised liberation from the Matrix; thus dawns a new era where men and machines co-exist which if I were to point out, is the starting point of another embedded cycle! (Enigmatic ways of nature!)
Let us take a simple fable as the basic Example 1, it is the fable of "The Frog in the Well" Till the time the frog was ignorant of the existence of the ocean, he prided over being the ruler of his well; he realized the truth and the very foundation of his being changed. Isn't this exactly what the Matrix is about? Had not the frog built himself a Matrix? Let us now take an Example 2, this one of human relationships - 2 very close friends, let us say X and Y, have a big misunderstanding. X has to leave town this evening and has requested Y to send him some important data for a critical assignment at his workplace early next day by the time he returns. Y sends him the data pronto but due to unfortunate events, the data never reaches X resulting in him being fired from his job. Naturally, X is disappointed and in his state of anger never asks Y what happened but assumes that Y purposefully did not help him as Y was jealous and all that rubbish! Thus, X builds himself a Matrix where he can pin the blame of his fall on Y as it is much easier for the human psyche to pin the blame on another individual than accept it to be a part of destiny which is a result of his/her own past deeds. How many times have we experienced this kind of behaviour (either as X or Y)? Example 3 - in a densely crowded pub, person A is robbed of his wallet. The thief replaces 5 Rs. 500/- notes from the wallet with 5 fake ones and keeps the wallet back where it came from. Thus, the thief builds a Matrix for the person A who leaves the pub any the wiser! Another Example 4 for the theory - why is sugar sweet and salt salty? What is sweet and salty? When we taste sugar, whatever the neuro systems sense, we have identified that pattern with the taste of sweetness and similar is the case with salt. Similar it is with thermostats, specific temperature values are the operation points. Now, if we were to reverse this data (electronically use a NOT gate), then sugar would be identified with salty taste and salt with sweetness. Example 5 - when we suffer an injury, we feel pain. Pain is identified with injury (mental or physical) and is dependent on the neuro signals sensed, transmitted by the nervous system and converted by the brain for interpretation. Were this data to be modified in a sense where the brain is fed a signal of physical pleasure when someone slaps us, we will enjoy it because we connect with the world around us through our senses! Conversely, if a soft kiss by a lover or a mother's caring touch were to be taken as input and using some kind of neuro converter be transformed into what the brain identifies as pain, we would be repulsed by it! Thus, by taking control of a person's senses, absolute control over a person's life can be achieved - that is the point I am making and that is what has exactly happened as The Matrix Trilogy starts - The machines have absolute control over the vast majority of the human race by building a Matrix similar to the ones in the above 5 examples!
I sincerely apologize to the most hardcore movie buffs for the next sentence - I saw The Matrix Trilogy (The Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions) yesterday; hats off to the Wachowski Brothers and the entire crew who have created this Masterpiece. In the trilogy too, like most times, I have found something I can learn from and hence would be sharing it on the blog. Though, improbable it might be but for those who have not yet viewed the movies (people like my father who are still on the 'dark side' regarding the matter just as I was 2 days back!), I will request you to acquire them first and go through it before continuing further as that will help me reach up to you better.
(if the reader happens to meet me, he/she can just get it from me as I assure you I wont press the delete button on these films for life!)
The movies are set in the future where machines have control over the human race. Humans have been reduced to being mere bio-thermal batteries powering the machines. Mathematically, a matrix is an array of characters which are governed by a certain set of specific rules. Through my previous blogs, I have always maintained that ignorance is the greatest threat to freedom and that is what forms the base of the Matrix. In the movies, the Matrix is a big jail of human minds; minds unaware of the reality, ignorant about the truth - the truth of a machine rule. Machines have imprisoned the human minds in a simulated world, a gigantic software program made up of 'n' number of sub-softwares in a great mesh in which human minds have been plugged into; made to believe that they are living a 'normal' life. This software is similar to the real world where humans are sensitive to changes and yet it is not the real deal, it is the ultimate illusion. There are softwares for all emotions, actions, perceptions, senses, natures, events and work processes under the sun! As the plot proceeds, few men are awakened from the Matrix and are aware of the reality of the dominance of the Machines and hence are in continued struggle for survival and freedom against them. Now, even the machines are aware of the law of opposites; we appreciate the existence of love because there is hatred; we realize the importance of goodness (पुण्य) because there is evil (पाप); we value happiness as there is sadness or grief. So, the universe is all about unbalancing the equations of life and re-balancing them with the opposite continuing the cycle. To neutralize the threat which this law possesses to the machine rule, in fixed cycles, the machines themselves liberate 23 humans from the matrix who rally around "The One" (the Human Messiah freed from the Matrix itself and possessing great powers of altering its parameters); then they fight against the machines, their destruction follows and then the re-birth of the resistance with 23 new fighters from the Matrix along with a new "The One" and this continues. By setting this up, the machines control the entire drama by balancing the equations to maintain rhythm. Thus, the trilogy goes on to depict how this tradition is discontinued this time around i.e. in the 6th cycle. This leads to disruption of the machines' dominance cycle; meanwhile, like it happens with all forces looking to impress their rule upon others, the machines too have created a master program named Smith whose power starts increasing exponentially as it becomes self-aware. Smith is the evil opposite of "The One" and his uncontrolled growth threatens to destroy the Matrix leading to the death of all those plugged into it which eventually would also terminate the machines who are totally dependent on the human bio-thermal energy to survive. This situation is unacceptable for the machines and hence a deal with them is brokered where "The One" defeats the Virus Smith by sacrificing himself and in return the humans are promised liberation from the Matrix; thus dawns a new era where men and machines co-exist which if I were to point out, is the starting point of another embedded cycle! (Enigmatic ways of nature!)
Let us take a simple fable as the basic Example 1, it is the fable of "The Frog in the Well" Till the time the frog was ignorant of the existence of the ocean, he prided over being the ruler of his well; he realized the truth and the very foundation of his being changed. Isn't this exactly what the Matrix is about? Had not the frog built himself a Matrix? Let us now take an Example 2, this one of human relationships - 2 very close friends, let us say X and Y, have a big misunderstanding. X has to leave town this evening and has requested Y to send him some important data for a critical assignment at his workplace early next day by the time he returns. Y sends him the data pronto but due to unfortunate events, the data never reaches X resulting in him being fired from his job. Naturally, X is disappointed and in his state of anger never asks Y what happened but assumes that Y purposefully did not help him as Y was jealous and all that rubbish! Thus, X builds himself a Matrix where he can pin the blame of his fall on Y as it is much easier for the human psyche to pin the blame on another individual than accept it to be a part of destiny which is a result of his/her own past deeds. How many times have we experienced this kind of behaviour (either as X or Y)? Example 3 - in a densely crowded pub, person A is robbed of his wallet. The thief replaces 5 Rs. 500/- notes from the wallet with 5 fake ones and keeps the wallet back where it came from. Thus, the thief builds a Matrix for the person A who leaves the pub any the wiser! Another Example 4 for the theory - why is sugar sweet and salt salty? What is sweet and salty? When we taste sugar, whatever the neuro systems sense, we have identified that pattern with the taste of sweetness and similar is the case with salt. Similar it is with thermostats, specific temperature values are the operation points. Now, if we were to reverse this data (electronically use a NOT gate), then sugar would be identified with salty taste and salt with sweetness. Example 5 - when we suffer an injury, we feel pain. Pain is identified with injury (mental or physical) and is dependent on the neuro signals sensed, transmitted by the nervous system and converted by the brain for interpretation. Were this data to be modified in a sense where the brain is fed a signal of physical pleasure when someone slaps us, we will enjoy it because we connect with the world around us through our senses! Conversely, if a soft kiss by a lover or a mother's caring touch were to be taken as input and using some kind of neuro converter be transformed into what the brain identifies as pain, we would be repulsed by it! Thus, by taking control of a person's senses, absolute control over a person's life can be achieved - that is the point I am making and that is what has exactly happened as The Matrix Trilogy starts - The machines have absolute control over the vast majority of the human race by building a Matrix similar to the ones in the above 5 examples!
To summarize, in the 1st part of the blog, without going into the details, I have tried to condense the trilogy into a short story. I have put forth certain examples from different domains to present metaphors for 'The Matrix'. I will let atleast a week pass by before I post the 2nd i.e. the concluding part of this blog where I go on to explain what I have learned from the Matrix Trilogy and the amazing similarities these movies have with our lives. During the meantime, if possible, please try and see the movies - it is worth it not just as regards to this blog but for the time too!
Till then....
Jai Hind!
1 comment:
I think our Rishies realized it in ancient and named it as SANSKARS; Conditioning is the closest English translation of this word.They say that it's always upto us to get conditioned or deconditioned.But we WANT to remain as we are. And this habit of human mind is used by so called Evil which actually resides in us. I am keen to see this movie now!
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