In the Matrix, Neo discovers there is something strange going on with the universe. He gets mixed up with weird people and his life is turned upside down. Finally, Neo has the chance to find out what is really going on with the world. He is offered two pills - red and blue. If he takes the red pill, everything will be revealed to him. If he chooses blue he will wake up at home and not remember anything about The Matrix. Needless to say, Neo chooses the red pill and the action of the film begins.
To me, Neo choosing the red pill was not so surprising. He had been looking for what was really going on, he wasn't about to refuse when he was so close. And, of course, it's a movie. But what would I do? What do I judge to be more important - happiness or knowledge?
I seem to be terribly inconsistent with my views on this. I had previously thought that I would much rather be happy than know everything that is happening to me, as happiness is one of the most, if not THE most, important things I pursue in life. It turned out, however, that I was dead wrong.
When something important in my life actually happened and I was faced with this choice, to know or to live in ignorance, I just had to know. I suppose this shows that there are certainly differences between how we think we would act and how we actually would act. It's all very well discussing what you should do in certain circumstances in a Philosophy lesson but when you actually get there it's completely different. I wonder how I can think more like I would in an actual situation. Perhaps by giving myself examples involving people and things that I know.
Red or blue? I can't quite believe I'm saying this but... Red.
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