Dialectics: The Matrix--Control and Submission

When I think about The Matrix and the following discussion in class, all I can think about is how turned around I felt and feel when I try and contemplate what it's trying to tell me. I hate it because I know that's exactly what it is trying to make me feel. So it's controlling me, even though thinking about the Matrix itself and acknowledging parallels to my life should be liberating, right? In other words, I think why I get so lost is because this movie thrives and can only exist on paradoxes/theses and antitheses/dialectics.

Here's the claim for you: escaping the Matrix's control, which was the equivalent of achieving freedom and autonomy, was only possible if he allowed himself to be controlled by figures and laws of the non-Matrix world. Essentially, I am stating that in order to escape the control of one captor, whether it be person or thing, we must submit ourselves to the control of another, so we are never truly free or autonomous--even if the captor which we choose to submit ourself to is much better than the initial captor.

One classic example of this is the "red or blue pill" decision. I believe that this is one of the only points in the movie when Neo has freedom and isn't subjected to anyone's authority. Due to human curiosity, he made the only decision that could be made. And, as a result, I believe that he still had the illusion of freedom when he worked under Morpheus, but was still controlled by the rules that Morpheus put in place for him, the general boundaries that the non-Matrix world posed for those living in it, and (to some extent) the prophecy that the oracle made for him. Looking at the facts, I determined, and I could very well be wrong in this, that the only way to free oneself and experience autonomy--or rather live in the space between two controlling worlds--was to do what Cypher did and determine his own fate. By no means is this the right call, but all I'm saying is that he recognized that after he left the Matrix, he was being controlled by another world. So, he basically took the red and blue pill--allowing him to see how far down the rabbit hole went while also being able to enjoy the illusion of a juicy Porterhouse.

I know--confusing, right?

Another example of this is what the Oracle has to offer. Despite Neo verbalizing how much he dislikes the idea of fate, he still ends up going to visit it's human embodiment (thanks to Morpheus). Before, Neo had allowed himself to be controlled by ignorance and, according to the oracle, believing incorrectly that he could be "the one" with out any validation for that claim. By visiting the oracle, he submits himself yet again to the control of an opposite world; he knowingly submitted himself to the control of the oracle, a world where he thought he would be entirely informed on his status as "the one." The funny part is that in this case, besides needing to hear what he did hear from the oracle, he was almost entirely free despite the illusion of control. Dialectics, everyone...

Translating this to pre-2199 times, the world in which we live today, we need to keep in mind what we buy into and how that compares or contorts to what we choose to submit ourselves to in the future. We need to ask ourselves: is this liberating or are there unforeseen boundaries that will confine me and even cap my right to govern myself? The line between the control of two opposing worlds is so fine in the Matrix, so I suppose it is the same way in our world, that it is nearly nonexistent. The Matrix is all about experiencing two worlds and using that experience to create a space for oneself on that incredibly fine line we know as freedom. There's more space than we realize, so we better start experiencing.