"The Matrix", will perhaps remain my favorite movie of all time. It simply extends beyond the realms of 'science fiction' and provides a crash course in philosophy in such delightful and engaging fashion, that students now have a renewed interest in the subject. It is so hard to separate "The Matrix" from philosophy that it came as no surprise to me discovering Plato to have dwelled in the concept of the Matrix around 520 B.C., through his "Allegory of the Cave". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave)
The Matrix indeed has us. It is everywhere. It is present even in this coffeehouse that I write this in. Whether or not the purpose of the Matrix is to blind us from "the truth", is uncertain. However, perhaps inadvertently, that is exactly what it is doing!
Every assumption we make, in independence or in defiance of reason, contributes to the Matrix. This is not to belittle 'beliefs' or 'emotions' which be said to lie beyond the realm of reason. Emotions, apparently, are beyond logic. I respectfully disagree. Beliefs and emotions have their own language and can be interpreted just as logically as anything else; as illustrated beautifully by Daniel Goleman in his much acclaimed book, "Emotional Intelligence". Perhaps the world of beliefs and emotions contain far more axioms than other worlds, nonetheless, they can be explained far more logically than we think they can. Everything has a reason and a purpose, and every action, feeling, belief or emotion can be traced back much further than we think they can. The axioms are contained far deeper in this chain of reason than what meets the 'eye'. Well, perhaps the word 'psychiatry' rings a bell.
So there is reason. But each time we choose to ignore it, either willfully or ignorantly, the Matrix grows stronger and stronger; in our minds, in our lives, and thus in our world. And each time we let that happen, we transfer "control" from ourselves to the Matrix. Lack of control leads to lack of "choices". After all, choice can be said to be an illusion created between those with power and those without. I mean, ofcourse my "lack of choice" in getting to work at 9 am tomorrow lies with the kind of control I have given my job and its financial security. This is not to say that it would be better to take that control back and not go to work. But getting back control can be as simple as recognizing this dynamic, recognizing the 'why' and being aware of it. As Socrates succinctly put it, "An unexamined life is not worth living". The only way to escape the Matrix is to examine it - examine life itself.
The Matrix indeed has us. It is everywhere. It is present even in this coffeehouse that I write this in. Whether or not the purpose of the Matrix is to blind us from "the truth", is uncertain. However, perhaps inadvertently, that is exactly what it is doing!
Every assumption we make, in independence or in defiance of reason, contributes to the Matrix. This is not to belittle 'beliefs' or 'emotions' which be said to lie beyond the realm of reason. Emotions, apparently, are beyond logic. I respectfully disagree. Beliefs and emotions have their own language and can be interpreted just as logically as anything else; as illustrated beautifully by Daniel Goleman in his much acclaimed book, "Emotional Intelligence". Perhaps the world of beliefs and emotions contain far more axioms than other worlds, nonetheless, they can be explained far more logically than we think they can. Everything has a reason and a purpose, and every action, feeling, belief or emotion can be traced back much further than we think they can. The axioms are contained far deeper in this chain of reason than what meets the 'eye'. Well, perhaps the word 'psychiatry' rings a bell.
So there is reason. But each time we choose to ignore it, either willfully or ignorantly, the Matrix grows stronger and stronger; in our minds, in our lives, and thus in our world. And each time we let that happen, we transfer "control" from ourselves to the Matrix. Lack of control leads to lack of "choices". After all, choice can be said to be an illusion created between those with power and those without. I mean, ofcourse my "lack of choice" in getting to work at 9 am tomorrow lies with the kind of control I have given my job and its financial security. This is not to say that it would be better to take that control back and not go to work. But getting back control can be as simple as recognizing this dynamic, recognizing the 'why' and being aware of it. As Socrates succinctly put it, "An unexamined life is not worth living". The only way to escape the Matrix is to examine it - examine life itself.
4 comments:
Excellent post. I haven't read emotional intelligence yet, getting it.
You should! Its kinda heavy; I'm only half way there...Golman really thrashes IQ to bits and I love that :) It makes so much sense. Our IQ is a slave to our EQ and pretty much useless if not channeled. It made me want to take up psychiatry :P
All of this sounds good. Anyone remember the story of the frog in the well? Was it part of Panchatantra, Jataka Tales? I'm sure it was an Amar Chitra Katha publication.
Anyways, coming back to logically explaining your emotions... yeah sure you can. What do you think all the psych students are doing? That being said, how many of us are really able to explain our emotions logically? In real time? It's fine to reflect and analyze, but how many of us, even after having read a book like Emotional Intelligence' or being a Psych major, can control and dictate our emotions? Of course, over the years, we've learned more and more about ourselves, most of us are more 'in touch with our feelings' than we were as children, but we still fuck up. ALL THE TIME.
Moral of the story: "Master the Self." That, supposedly, is the hardest thing to do and requires a lot of 'parishram' and 'yoga'. It's cool to recognize the need to do this, question is, how far are we down the road?
No no I disagree that these studies are merely erudite pursuits. Practice is hard but as I keep saying, the first step is the open-mindedness to even try to do so. At least we can be aware of the option and soon enough (or late enough) it might transcend from the subconscious to the conscious.
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