Star Wars and The Matrix – Unlearning What You Have Learned – Safe Search is Off
Safe search is off.
“So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you
nothing that I say?”
– Yoda, from The Empire Strikes Back.
One of the core themes of both Star Wars and The Matrix is the concept that if you want to transform your world, you must first identify how you have been programmed, decide whether the programming is accurate, then decide whether to reprogram yourself.
“Ahhh! A great warrior. (laughs and shakes his head) Wars not
make one great.”
– Yoda, from The Empire Strikes Back.
- – - -
The Empire Strikes Back:
LUKE: Master, moving stones around is one thing. This is totally
different.
YODA: No! No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn
what you have learned.
- – - -
The Matrix:
Dozer: He still needs a lot of work.
Neo: What are you doing?
Morpheus: Your muscles have atrophied, we’re rebuilding them.
Neo: Why do my eyes hurt?
Morpheus: You’ve never used them before. Rest, Neo. The answers are coming.
- – - -
The Matrix:
Neo: The Matrix?
Morpheus: Do you want to know what IT is? The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.
- – - -
The Matrix:
Morpheus: This is the construct. It’s our loading program. We can load anything from clothing, to equipment, weapons, training simulations, anything we need.
Neo: Right now we’re inside a computer program?
Morpheus: Is it really so hard to believe? Your clothes are different. The plugs in your arms and head are gone. Your hair is changed. Your appearance now is what we call residual self image. It is the mental projection of your digital self.
Neo: This . . . this isn’t real?
Morpheus: What is real? How do you define real?
Neo: No. I don’t believe it. It’s not possible.
Morpheus: I didn’t say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth.
- – - -
a poem:
“you can’t . . .”
you can’t . . .
you can’t serve two masters
you can’t be a patriot and dissent from the course of your country
you can’t live in Heaven if you spend all your time trying to help people in Hell
you can’t love the prodigal child as much as the loyal one
you can’t raise a child with the love of two parents as well as you can with just one
you can’t be loyal to your love, and love the one you’re with
you can’t love equally two parents whose separate religions believe in mutually exclusive all-powerful Gods.
you can’t let your love go off separately and be romantically involved with someone else
you can’t share the affections of your love
you can’t experience more than one true love in your lifetime
you can’t experience true love romantically with more than one love at a time
you can’t, can you?
– - – -
The Empire Strikes Back:
LUKE: I saw . . . I saw a city in the clouds.
YODA: Mmm. Friends you have there.
LUKE: They were in pain.
YODA: It is the future you see.
LUKE: Future? Will they die?
Yoda closes his eyes and lowers his head.
YODA: Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.
LUKE: I’ve got to go to them.
YODA: Decide you must how to serve them best. If you leave now, help
them you could. But you would destroy all for which they have fought
and suffered.
- – - -
The Empire Strikes Back:
INTERIOR: HOTH — REBEL BASE — MAIN ICE TUNNEL
The deck officer and his assistant hurry toward Han as he
enters the tunnel.
DECK OFFICER: Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn’t come in through the
south entrance. He might have forgotten to check in.
HAN: Not likely. Are the speeders ready?
DECK OFFICER: Not yet. We’re having some trouble adapting them to the
cold.
HAN: Then we’ll have to go out on Tauntauns.
DECK OFFICER: Sir, the temperature’s dropping too rapidly.
HAN: That’s right. And my friends out in it.
ASSISTANT OFFICER: I’ll cover sector twelve. Have com-control set
screen alpha.
Han pushes through the troops and mounts a Tauntaun.
DECK OFFICER: Your Tauntaun’ll freeze before you reach the first
marker.
HAN: Then I’ll see you in Hell! Yah!
Han maneuvers his mount out of the cave and races into the
dark bitter night.
- – - -
The Matrix:
INT. THE ORACLE’S KITCHEN. THE ORACLE IS BAKING COOKIES.
Oracle: I know you’re Neo. Be right with you.
Neo: You’re the Oracle?
Oracle: Bingo. Not quite what you were expecting, right? Almost done. Smell good, don’t they?
Neo: Yeah.
Oracle: I’d ask you to sit down, but your not going to anyway. And don’t worry about the vase.
Neo: What vase?
Neo turns, knocking over a vase. It shatters on the floor.
Oracle: That vase.
Neo: I’m sorry.
Oracle: I said don’t worry about it. I’ll get one of my students to fix it.
Neo: How did you know?
Oracle: What’s really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything? You’re cuter than I expected. No wonder she likes you.
Neo: Who?
Oracle: Not too bright, though. You know why Morpheus brought you to see me?
Neo: I think so.
Oracle: So, what do you think? You think you’re the one?
Neo: I don’t know.
Oracle: You know what that means? (Gestures to a sign over the kitchen door) It’s Latin. Means `Know thyself’. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Being the one is just like being in love. No one can tell you you’re in love, you just know it. Through and through. Balls to bones. Well, I better have a look at you. Open your mouth, say Ahhh.
Neo: Ahhh.
Oracle: Okay. Now I’m supposed to say, `Umm, that’s interesting, but . . .’ then you say-
Neo: But what?
Oracle: But you already know what I’m going to tell you.
Neo: I’m not the one.
Oracle: Sorry kiddo. You got the gift, but it looks like you’re waiting for something.
Neo: What?
Oracle: Your next life maybe, who knows?
- – - -
- – - -
There are many things in life that can be dodged easily. Truth is not one of them.
“Truth Hits Everybody” – a song by The Police.
- – - -
Neo: Trinity! Help!!!!
Agent Brown: Only human.
Trinity: Dodge this
- – - -
If Yoda were alive today, he might say, “Off, safe search should be.”
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© All rights reserved by the respective artists.
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fascinating.
timely.
What an interesting process a person goes through when their thoughts are first challenged after growing up. It’s interesting to see how people respond to that challenge. I like this quote.
quite true
going through these changes is lot painful
we are all non-physical consciousness’ experiencing physical reality. We are all One. You are the One. I am the One. What most people experience as day-to-day reality is a lie. If you seek the Truth . . you will find it. The Search for Enlightenment might be a good start . . . Perhaps switch the TV off and try Meditating . . . release yourself from all karmic ties . . . respect everyone and everything . . . like a good Jedi
SIA: Thank you.
Ugh..this comment shows a severe ignorance of biology and anatomy. Every body has consciousness because their brain is processing light, vibrations in the air (sound), and on with the senses..we are all individual, our brains work like similarly to computers (or rather, computers work similarly to our brains) and when we die, there’s no entity drifting about in the cosmos..our brain simply stops processing information, because it is no longer receiving oxygen or electrical impulses from nerves. Sorry for sounding arrogant, but seriously, crack open a textbook or something.
Enjoyed the article, I did x)
Without consciousness, there would be no experience. No experience of brain, or the conceptual model you have of how consciousness is ‘created’.
All your ideas of brain and so forth are predicated on consciousness.
Consciousness requires no ‘entity drifting about in the cosmos’. You are requiring a witness, when there is only witnessing. Or rather, the witness, the witnessed and witnessing are the same.
be excellent to each other.
party on. – bill and ted’s excellent adventure.
philosophy simplified, treat each other well, and enjoy your life.
How much better would the world be if we were all able to follow these words of wisdom?
on the right path, you are.
You are very brave. It’s hard to stand outside societial values and follow what your heart tells you. You not only do that, you share it with others so as to inspire them. Thank you for the poem. It’s beautiful.
it’s just nice to know that there are other people out there who just want the simple things in life, like red says…
‘treat each other well, and enjoy your life.’
Thanks for such an insightful blog. I have posted a link to it on my Tumblr.
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” ~Buddha
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OneMoreOption: Thank you for taking the time to share those excellent ideas.
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THIS FREAKING ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wrote something similar to this on my blog:
http://victorstuff.com/4-matrixs-business-lessons-free-your-mind-become-a-neo-entrepreneur