The Matrix is real, and it is here

When the Matrix movies first became hugely popular in 1999, the notion of a fictional world where everyone was enslaved seemed like a fantasy. Popular culture has never been studied so deeply as to reveal the ancient traditions of the Maya, a Sanskrit word that means an all-encompassing illusion that really envelops us all. When people talk about the Maya, it belongs to an exotic worldview that none of the modern Westerners would give much credit to.

But it is precisely this illusion that fascinates us and gives us the impression that the Matrix represents real life, like in a great movie. Clearly a better explanation is needed to convince the public that we are not all living in a dream/spell/illusion, but that it is possible to escape from it.

Now I want to give you a quick preview of why real matrices are important to everyone.

The most important job of the human brain is to convey images of reality that meet our needs, more specifically those of our hominid ancestors. The main desire is survival, which Darwinists classify into two factors.

food and mating. But apparently there were other needs that differentiated hominids from other mammals, such as protection in the physical dimension and peaceful communities. But far more decisive than that was the emergence of human needs, largely a matter of higher consciousness. These include free will, language, art, writing, love, compassion, altruism, creativity, and most importantly self-awareness.

These qualities are what make us human, and as we evolved they became fully integrated into a unified system called the Matrix or Maya. Terminology is not important here. The most important thing this movie gets right is that you and I are the Matrix. we are not in it. There is no separation between what we perceive "outside" - rocks, trees, buildings, sky, other people - and what we perceive "here" - thoughts, sensations, images, emotions. The Matrix is ​​so seamless that countless people live their lives accepting it just by looking at it.

In fact, it is the foundation of scientific research, which puts physical objects first as the basis of reality. We salute the amazing advances in science and technology, but such a worldview is just a convenient fiction, the very fiction that dreams/magic/illusions have thrown us back into our survival instincts. So what is our motive for running away? The answer lies outside the matrix. Because once you're in the Matrix, you can't escape it unless you find a way to escape yourself.

The key word here is "myself". When the Mayan doctrine originated in ancient India, it was unlike any other concept, thought, teaching, or everyday fact. Nor was it due to religious ideas or some genius idea. Instead, we had a natural relationship with Maya that we lost. It was the relationship between the creator and his work. When the ancient sages realized that the human mind constructed the Matrix, they took it to heart that they did not want to be fooled by their own creations. But everyday life was marked by amnesia. No one looked at themselves and said, "This whole world was made by my mind."

The Maya have been around for as long as we can remember, and have worked remarkably well for evolutionary purposes, as civilization's gigantic creations attest. But there was a fly inside the ointment. There was a gap in the continuity that made The Matrix so appealing. I'll give you three;

• No one knew where the human spirit came from. To this day, no one has been able to explain how thought arises or what thought is exactly.

• Although pain and suffering appear to be universal, the so-called lower animals did not exhibit existential pain and suffering. Why?

• Self-consciousness kept asking, "Who am I?"

These flaws and gaps, when put into words, smell of philosophy throughout the build. But in reality they are not the product of abstract thinking. I just had a feeling that I can't explain. This feeling was so widespread that the public asked - and still asks, "Is that all?"

Only when one succumbs to the vague feeling that there must be something more in life does one reach the secret of human existence, the hidden evolution. Hidden from the eyes of the physical world, the human mind has evolved thanks to several factors that are easily discovered upon closer inspection. All of these elements are part of our consciousness, built in without anyone creating them. They include:

Curiosity and thirst for discovery

Creativity

Inspiration and insight

Attraction to the source

Totality of self

The first three on the list should surprise no one, but the last two deserve some explanation. All cultures contain myths, religions and metaphysics. The word "God" need not be implied. Because the common point is not religion, but the source of religion. Human consciousness has a built-in attraction or attraction to the very source of our own consciousness. This is not a mystical concept. Universal evidence for the search for a higher reality has existed since the beginning. While some cultures tapped into this urge and looked outward for gods and goddesses, India looked inward and explored consciousness itself through simple, everyday self-awareness as the only means.

Another factor, the totality of the self, needs an explanation. Because as modern humans we are conditioned to have a divided and fragmented self. We equate the divided reality of 'here' and 'outside'. This makes sense when a person has to hunt to survive. It may not be through inner moods, fears, etc. that you have a keen sense of what is 'out there'. It gets clouded by distractions. The problem is that once humans go deep into the "outside," the divided self forgets that this is an evolutionary convenience, not the actual nature of the self.

Sit quietly for a moment and feel who you are. Effortlessly and naturally, you are just here, and your confidence is your knowledge that you exist. Being aware and being are one. They're the creative foundations of The Matrix, not the unholy, malevolent machines of movies that babies are plugged into. Simple self-awareness needs nothing to justify its existence. Even evolution is not up for debate. I have no plans other than to be here now. 

But self-awareness, which unlocked the source of consciousness, has given us all human values, all civilizations, all arts, sciences and technologies. Importantly, it now offers a way out of the split self and all the pain and suffering that comes from being trapped in the Matrix.

DEEPAK CHOPRA™ MD, FACP, Founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of happiness and humanity, and Chopra Global, a modern healthcare company where science and spirituality intersect, is a world-renowned A pioneer in integrative medicine and a personal transformation. Chopra is a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego, and a senior fellow at Gallup. He is the author of over 89 of his books translated into over 43 languages, including many New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book, Metahuman:

Unlocking your own limitless potential reveals the secret to going beyond your current limitations and accessing a realm of limitless potential. For three decades, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution. His next book, Total Meditation (Harmony Book, September 22, 2020) will help you reach new dimensions of stress-free and joyful living. In Time magazine, Dr. Chopra described him as "one of the 100 greatest heroes and icons of this century." 

-Pheonix