Love and Self-Sacrifice in the Matrix Trilogy
The Matrix Trilogy can be viewed in a number of different ways. Some
audiences saw the films as simply science fiction and the idea of good
verses evil however many looked deeper to see the many others themes
and ideas that the films put forward. One of the key themes that
permeates all three films is the notion of self-sacrifice and how
these acts of self-sacrifice come from love. The love is not always
between two people and is not always the traditional style of love
that we know but a love none the less. It also needs to be said that
the acts of self-sacrifice are in some instances quite subtle and at
other times very obvious.
In the first movie “The Matrix” we see the theme of self-sacrifice
come up quite early in the film We find Trinity monitoring Thomas
Anderson, the hero of the film as he is believed to be the “One” by
Morpheus. The One is believed to be the saviour of the human race and
an extremely important person. The fact that Trinity is monitoring
Thomas is dangerous as she is a freed mind inside the Matrix and the
Agents (the enemy) search the Matrix for these freed minds. This is
how they discover Trinity and they then set about finding and
disposing of her. Trinity is prepared to sacrifice herself so that she
may find the One so that the entire human race may be freed.
The second instance of self-sacrifice is apparent when Morpheus
believes in Thomas Anderson (now known as Neo) so much that he risks
his life to save Neo’s. Morpheus believes that Neo is so important,
that he attacked an Agent, even though he was exceedingly outnumbered.
Neo later learns that he is not the person who Morpheus is searching
for, and subsequently goes onto risk his own life, believing that
Morpheus is an exceedingly important person to the survival of the
human race.
All these instances of possible self-sacrifice and people risking
their lives to save others are based on the idea of the protection of
Affection and attachment, wanting intimacy and closeness with someone is imprinted in our very DNA. Our true natures are revealed in the existence of our desire for love. When an ill-intentioned external force denies us that desire through the use of fear however, it has the detrimental effect of keeping us locked in prisons of confusion and despair. There is hope, however, that redemption can come by finding affirmation of our individual identity. There is hope in identifying and knowing the true nature of our identities, in being okay with who we are because others are okay with who we are. We love because we were first loved.
things in one’s life have the ability to cloud or cover up feelings of love.
that the heart of love is as profound, deep and moving as the ocean itself. The gem
The 1999 film, The Matrix, shows many philosophical instances. Comparing this film to Plato’s The Republic: The Allegory of the Cave, and Descartes’ First Meditation on Philosophy allows one to gain a deeper understanding of the work. Reality is a concept that may be vague to many people due to their given circumstances. The environment and the mind a person is in allows for different perceptions of reality. The power of reality falls in the eyes of the beholder. As shown in The Matrix, Neo was not the One until he believed he was, which can percept into everyday life; how someone thinks can affect how someone is.
This passage marks the first of several types of love, and gives us an intuitive
Her love may not have been the greatest love of all time, but it was still love.
As any romantic will assert, love is by far the most powerful force known to human hearts and minds. This sentiment is espoused throughout history, almost to the point of cliché. Everyone has heard the optimistic statement, “love conquers all,” and The Beatles are certain, however idyllic it may be, that “all you need is love.” Humanity is convinced that love is unique within human emotion, unequalled in its power to both lift the spirit up in throws of ecstasy, and cast it down in utter despair.
True love is a reason for everything, even deleting the laws of life. People's mistakes and weaknesses are part of life; and, without contradic...
In 2002, Brent Staples communicated with Jean Baudrillard about the use of his philosophy in The Matrix (1999), a film written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski. Staples wrote, “He [Baudrillard] noted that the film’s “borrowings” from his work “stemmed mostly from misunderstandings” and suggested that no movie could ever do justice to the themes of this book”. In this paper, I will argue that the Wachowski Brothers did not want to “do justice to the themes of this book”; they wanted to adapt Baudrillard’s theories about the blurring of the real and unreal, and the eventual extermination of the real, into a story that provides hope for humans wanting to escape the suffocation of the “hyperreal”. The “hyperreal” was first coined by Baudrillard in his book, Simulacra and Simulations (1983); it is the product of the distortions of the real through endless simulations of it in radio, newspaper, television, and film.
In the video game world anything is possible, and if your player dies you can always play again. The videogame industry is exploding in the market place; it's far from child's play and far from the days of pong. In the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly (December 6, 2002) there is an article, Video Game Nation, discussing a new video game experience being touted as the wave of the future, The Real World meets The Matrix. In this virtual world called The Sims Online, people "live" in a virtual environment peopled by avatars created by thousands of other gamers. Neal Stephenson envisioned this future ten years prior with his release of Snow Crash. Stephenson describes a computer-generated "metaverse" where the logged-on could take on "avatars" hang out, and walk around, meet other "avatars" and perhaps fall in love. These artificial realities offer millions of people a chance to step out of our world and enter another dimension where anything can happen. The setting may be artificial in nature, an electronic stream of data creates this artificial world for the player back home, but the interaction and the emotional appeal for the players are very real. When Neo is "reborn" we see where technology has taken us; it has enslaved us and uses us humans as a power source. Why not see that for what it is: a warning. We see computer gaming as nothing more than just escape. This is what technology offers people escape -- from this world, but is something being given up? Perhaps we should look at the nature of the beast and realize we are already enslaved. We are already there linked together in a Marxist fashion struggling for power, shelling out time and money to find solace inside the World Wide ...
Love is arguably the most powerful emotion possessed by mankind; it is the impalpable bond that allows individuals to connect and understand one another. Pure love is directly related to divinity. Without love, happiness and prosperity become unreachable goals. An individual that possesses all the desired superficial objects in the world stands alone without the presence of love. For centuries love has been marveled by all that dare encounter it. Countless books and poems have been transcribed to explain the phenomenon of love, but love surpasses all intellectual explanations and discussions. Love is not a definition, but rather a thought, an idea. This idea, the idea of love, burns inside us all. Instinctually, every soul on Earth is
“You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” What pill would you take? The film, The Matrix, mirrors Plato’s allegory. They revolve around the concept of imprisonment of the mind. In other words, a slave, when a person’s mind is taken from reality. To further my explanation, they are controlled to believe that they are free. Although, they are not free, because they are living a life that’s not real.
Fromm concludes that love is not a feeling, it is a decision, and it’s a judgement, a promise. To love means to surrender and commit without guarantees, It is an act of utter faith. I feel I have a better understanding of what love is and that if more people understood that true love is not about being loved, but about loving, this world would be a better place.
Love is the basis of every day life, and it gives us the power to feel so affectionately
for someone to say that they love another is to respect them and their ideas and