Blog 3

The Matrix: Utopia, Dystopia, and Realities

When comparing the metaphors taken from Socrates’ “The Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix, both are on the opposite sides of the spectrum. In “Allegory,” the cave is a very limited and ignorant experience but once freed and accustomed to it, the truth is beautiful something that is undoubtedly better than the cave. In The Matrix, however, the cave is a world that the humans feel comfort in. Though this world is not perfect, this imperfection is what humans use to seek happiness, as they have the flaws to compare it to. Once freed, however, they are brought to a post-apocalyptic world with nothing but a vast wasteland and the remnants of a human civilization deep underground. I believe that The Matrix is the more accurate metaphor in terms of giving up illusions and learning about the truth.

Throughout history, a very popular belief was that God created the earth, and surrounded it with the sun and the skies. We actually believed that we were literally the center of the universe, and that everything revolved around us. We thought we were given the full attention of a deity in the sky, and that our world was the epitome of importance. It was not until we found out that this was not the case when we realized that we are nothing but a small rock among billions and trillions of other planets and stars. Though we once believed that we were at the center of it all, we now know that in the grand scheme of it all, we’re just a speck of dust.

Another common misconception we have is when happens after death. When I was young, my uncle passed away. I was told that he was in heaven – a place of peace and happiness. Depending on different beliefs, some might say that people are reincarnated, or even become a deity themselves. Ultimately, the belief is that they are in a far happier place now that they are no longer with us. In truth, our minds just cease to exist and our bodies decompose in the dirt for years to come.

As a result, I believe that throughout history and in personal experiences, the metaphor in The Matrix where a satisfying (or even just satisfactory) belief leads to a truth that is more harsh and worse reality. I think this happens because of a few reasons. First, because the first explanation or belief we have for something we don’t understand is usually the simplest one, or the one that will make us the most happy. We can’t explain it, so why not think of it in a way that satisfies us? Another possibility is because we don’t want to consider or accept a fact that we know will cause unhappiness, or crush our preconceptions of the world we live in that we have grown so used to, so we subconsciously disregard the reality as we continue to live in our own. There is a phrase that very well summarizes this idea – that “ignorance is bliss,” whether we are inherently ignorant or choose to continue to live in ignorance.