Exiting the Matrix
Photograph by Caspian Dahlstrom
The Matrix was an iconic movie for me growing up. Certainly not because I understood the deeper themes the movie was trying to communicate. But because it is very cool that someone could dodge bullets, run across walls, and jump into the sky without needing a supersized spring. When I rewatched the Matrix trilogy a few years ago, I was in a better position to understand the idea of the Matrix as representative of the systems of control and persuasion that human beings find ourselves within. Systems that we accept wilfully and often unconsciously, because of how all encompassing they are.
Consequently, I understood the concept of The One as this rare human being who could not just transcend the influence of these external systems, this Matrix, but also their perceived personal physical and mental limitations. The idea of being The One then makes for an exciting personal narrative that I can fulfil. That I can through a constant process of unlearning and spiritual progress break free from the control of these various ideas, experiences, institutions, and systems shackling me, seems like a wondrous finality.
This is the idea upon which many schools of education and practice appeal to me, the consumer. Whether they be Yoga, Philosophy, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, Martial Arts, Creative Arts, or just plain old “physical fitness”. The “best version of myself”, “most evolved self”, and “transcendent self”, are all interchangeable with the idea of The One. Since it may be viewed as too grandiose to see myself as The One, those other terms provide a slightly less egotistical touch to this arduous but nonetheless rewarding journey of exiting the Matrix.
In the work and lifestyle of so many artists, therapists, body practitioners, activists, and entrepreneurs, the idea of exiting the Matrix is central. Many of these individuals quite confidently believe that they are on their way out of the Matrix. Some of them claim that they have already exited the system. On that, I call bullshit. Yeah, some system you’ve exited while continuing to operate on Instagram and selling your crocheting course on here. At least self-professed capitalists are honest.
I’m beginning to think that even my process of trying to exit the Matrix is a misguided one. I have tended to view the Matrix as something external that limits me and contorts my perception of reality to prevent me from exiting it. And I believe that this is the case for many other individuals too. If the Matrix is viewed in this way, then the means of exiting it is to topple governments, keep big corporations in check, question and invalidate age-old ideas and institutions, and essentially rail against anything that has a whiff of a controlling or persuasive element to it.
But an interesting idea that was communicated through the Matrix trilogy was that The One is a necessary anomaly within the Matrix. “Necessary” is the important word. The implication is that the Matrix not only anticipates the anomaly, the dissenter, the outcaste, and the rebel, but actively gives birth to these individuals to assert itself even further. The character of “Neo”, is the sixth iteration of The One. He is not the first anomaly. He is not the first to have tried to extricate the human race from the Matrix. He is one in a line of many who have embarked upon the same pursuit, and who will embark upon the same pursuit.
When the Matrix is able to remain intact despite the presence of The One, when the Matrix is upheld despite the many dissenters, the rest of the individuals within the Matrix realize one way or the other, that to exit the Matrix is impossible. To dissent, is futile. What I haven’t considered earlier however, is that Neo is not The One because he is supposed to exit the Matrix and save the human race. Neo is The One simply because he is constantly aware of the influence of the Matrix, and more importantly, aware that he cannot escape the Matrix. Hence, there is a trilogy, and the series didn’t end just because Neo made it out of the program.
This is because the Matrix is not something that exists OUT THERE. No, I am the Matrix. You are the Matrix. The Matrix exists because “I” exist. The moment the consciousness of Nikhil Vinodh ceases to exist, the Matrix vanishes. And by “the Matrix” I then mean “my Matrix”. There is no singular, objective Matrix. Simply by virtue of being in this human body, with this human consciousness, and with these human contingencies, I am a Matrix. And I will be until death. I can never exit the Matrix; I can only be conscious of it. There, that’s a bit of a relief for me. Sounded like I was going to be on an awfully tough journey. As always, I manage to make life easier for myself. Lazy 4 Lyf.
