Over 20 years have passed and I have just sat down and watched the Matrix in it’s entirety for the first time…Say whaaat?! I know, how could I have let something so iconic of our time pass me by for so long. Of course I had a general idea of what the matrix was but I never until now realised how much spiritual philosophy was dialogued throughout the film. It was a real eye opener but not in the way I expected of questioning the Man and unpicking the Matrix of the powers that be. I accept certain things in my ignorance and choose not to be plagued by them because there, in my mind, is a certain amount of futility in the some subjects. However, what resonated with me, and perhaps wouldn’t have done to such a degree 20 years ago, was that the real Matrix is the prison of one’s own mind. A now infamous quote said by Morpheus is ‘There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.’ You can think yourself to be the most spiritual person in the world, attending workshops and seminars, doing the “inner work” and reading book after book. You know your stuff. But when does that knowing become being? When does that knowing become believing? When do you become so sure that all self doubt, fear, disbelief and self sabotage melt way into an illusory state that you step away from and you become free of your mind?
The other thing that piqued my interest was also how Neo only became self actualised after Morpheus believed in him. He sowed the seed and showed him an unwavering belief to the point where he staked his life on it (and it fortunately paid off!). Which got me thinking, how many people go through this life not having anyone believe in them? How many kids grow up and go through life with this crippling self doubt and lack of self belief because their parents, teachers, care givers etc never stood up for them in a way which made them feel strong? Not that this would have necessarily have been done in a conscious or malicious way. Possibly in the minds of those who were responsible at the time thought they were showing such praise but unfortunately, it never transposed to the intended recipient and so, their souls become lost in the matrix. The emotional wounds show on the skin like scored flesh and they wail out through the stories they tell of victimhood and misplaced loyalty and trust.
So how do we rewrite our own coding, upgrade our DNA? What if, even as adults, we still don’t have that Morpheus character in our lives to tell us he believes in us? How do we flick that switch and walk the path? What if we are to never know the answers but trust that the journey we walk upon guides us on the way there. What even, if we do live in a virtual reality and we can imagine a life like a Sims character, would you do NOW to make a change and start believing? And if you do / did have someone in your life that has shown belief in you, how has that helped shaped you? I’m not saying that this is the be all and end all of anyone’s success but I do believe having that support really can enhance a person’s self belief and self worth. It’s a good thing but it’s not the only thing.
