The other philosophy

The concept of the Matrix is not new. Many a philosopher has argued many a times that what one sees around oneself is not real, just a myth. Yeh sab maya jaal hai (All this is an illusion) is a comment made by lots of college going people, not in the least understanding what it means.

The meaning is brought forward in the Matrix by the following dialogue (kindly excuse the inaccuracies):
How did I beat you?
You were too fast.
Do you think that my being faster or stronger has anything to do with my muscles in this place?
(Silence, Panting)
Do you think that's air you're breathing now?

In that world, everything, EVERYTHING, is a myth, an illusion, "You've been living in a dreamworld Neo."

In this world, while a lot of people need to, want to, think that what they see, what they feel, taste, touch are just electrical signals to their brains, it doesn't help them, because they're never rescued.

There is a couple of other important dialogues that I want to quote before I bring this post to its conclusion:

Are you saying that I can dodge bullets?
What I'm saying, is that when you're ready, you won't have to.

and,

I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to know. I'm going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.

The first is a commentary on what everyone lacks when they say that it's all "maya". Everyone seems to think that they can dodge bullets. What they really need to do is to deal with them.

The second is about cool. That statement is just so "in your face" cool that I become completely speechless (also, in other words, I don't know what it means). Somewhere it reminds me of what all the rockers at Woodstock '69 were trying to do.

There's more philosophy to come. Rukavat ke liye khed hai (I regret the interruption).