Informal Writing Assignment #2

In the film The Matrix, the main character Neo is confronted by Morpheus, a man he has desperately been searching for. During this meeting, Morpheus explains to Neo that he is trapped in a virtual prison and Morpheus offers to show Neo the truth. What Morpheus offers is a choice via two pills. The blue pill allows Neo to go sleep and wake up believing that he had a vivid dream. By taking the red pill, Morpheus will show Neo the truth which will answer some of the questions that have plagued Neo. Without much consideration, Neo chooses the red pill and Morpheus shows Neo what the Matrix is.

So the question presented in this particular assignment is, which pill would I take? A knee jerk reaction would make me say that I would take the red pill because who wouldn’t want to know the truth, right? And especially if it is viewed through the eyes of the Neo, who wouldn’t want to be the hero? After taking some time to think about it, I think that I would take the blue pill. I realize that, the statement is contrary to conventional wisdom so what would I contemplate in making this decision?  When I sat and thought more about this question, two things came to mind. First, am I alone or do I have a family and second, what would my life be like if I took the red pill?

Say for example that I was alone, had no close friends and no ties to a particular person, would that make it easier for me to take the red pill? I think it might. If I thought that there was something greater out there and someone offered me a chance or a choice to be shown this great unknown, I would jump at it. It would also make the decision easier if I had no one else to consider but myself. But on the other hand, if I have a family and close friends, would I be able to make that choice knowing that I may never see them again. So I started to take a devil’s advocate approach to this dilemma and I realized that even though I am trapped in a “virtual prison”, at least I am with my family and friends and we are all in it together. I don’t think that I could just abandon them.

I then started to think about if I was to take the red pill, what would my life be like? So I began to analyze the “real” world and I came up with a few unsettling details. First I would not be the “one” so I can’t stop bullets, I can’t fly and I probably will not do anything of importance for the so called “revolution” except probably sacrifice myself for the greater good. Let’s not forget that I would be entering into a war, be on a ship with a disproportional amount of women to men and eat what appears to be slop for the rest of my life. Maybe ignorance is bliss. For those that have seen the sequels, if I had my choice I would like to be one of the programs in the Matrix that are detached from the mainframe like the Merovingian. I think I am more intrigued at being harbinger of information and enjoying the finer things in life (even if it isn’t real).