Friday, July 28, 2006

Are we living in the matrix?


After looking at the title of this post I'm sure you're thinking "He's insane!". But before you write me off as a crazy, over-zealous Matrix fan hear me out a bit :)

For the sake of all of you who missed the point of the Matrix completely and for those of you who havent watched it at all I'll summarise the main gist of the story for you.

The Matrix is all based on the idea that what we percieve to be reality might not be as real as we think it is. He askes Neo how he would define "real". Morpheous then proceeds to tell Neo that if real is what we can see, feel and touch then "real" is just electrical signals interpreted by your brain.
Neo has been freed from a massive computer program or "game" which all people have been plugged into and are living out their lives in. This computer porogram is simply a "realistic" simulation of life on earth. However, people on earth are oblivious to this tiny piece of information.

The reason for this is also explained by Morpheous: in the early 21st century (where we are living today) humans marvelled at their creation of "AI" - Artificial Intelligence.
A whole race of machines and robots were programmed with AI. Predictably a war broke out between the two and the humans reasoned that the main source of power for the machines was solar-power and so we scorched the sky. The machines were then faced with a severe power problem.
But - the human body generates more bio-electricity than a 120volt battery and over 125000b.t.u. of body head... The machines had found all the energy they would ever need.
So they plugged all humans into a simulated reality while they "lived" on the energy produced by the fields of humans plugged into their system.

Their were some humans who were freed in the beginning by a certain person and shown the truth and they worked to free other minds enslaved by the system of the matrix.
Since it was a computer program, those who knew the truth could manipulate it to a certain extent, hence all the crazy fighting moves etc.

Now besides the allegorical value of the story, I think the concept holds some water. (Dont roll your eyes:) I do not believe that we are plugged into a computer program and that this life counts for nothing, but the concept that the Matrix raises does make you think about some of the fundimental truths we know about this life.

Firstly, and the most obvious one is that this life is not all there is... we exist on this earth for a higher purpose than just this life. If it were so we are to be pitied above all men. And further more it is our God-Given purpose to show the world the truth... we are enslaved by sin!

1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
(This means that if we only have hope in God for this life and after that we die to eternal death then we are sad people indeed)
Luk 18:30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life."
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
2Co 5:4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Secondly, we shouldnt fear in this world
Mat 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

And lastly we should not worry about our abilities or put trust in ourselves
Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Mar 9:23 And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes."
Joh 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

Prayer is the key!
Mar 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mat 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

So my encouragement to you is not for you to try to dodge bullets and learn kung fu moves, but to remember that this life is not all we live for and it is worth living for God's Glory now instead of for ourselves because our reward is great:
1Co 3:14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.



6 comments:

Erin VanderKolk said...

hey this is really cool!!

Erin VanderKolk said...

this is Erin by the way

Anonymous said...

Antz, very interesting allegory. I also thought that this tied into what you were saying in your free will article. In the Matrix, Morpheous chose to reveal the truth to some, while not others. So, Neo didn't really have a free will in that area of finding out the truth, is that right? At the same time God is the one who chooses to reveal the truth to some, and grant salvation, and because HE CHOOSES to do this we receive the truth.

Great blog!

Anonymous said...

There is one theme in the Matrix that we can also look at. . . The "Savior" figure that is portrayed by Neo, just like Jesus Christ he came after and became the one who would offer redemtion to a people that where bound! This theme is very prevalant in a lot of movies if you look really hard for it. good post.

Anonymous said...

yeah lekker post Antz!!!!! and there is deffinetely a lot to think about that free will issue. I also thought that there wasn't really free will because if we had free will and God knew what we were going to do before we even thought about doing it, what is free will then. that is what I thought. but it is a lekker post!!! thanks. :-)

Anonymous said...

i just realized this was in the wrong place-it was meant for "free will".