The Matrix Debate

My team and I took the side of the red pill during our class debate. Just as the movie explores, both pills and their pros and cons are detailed throughout the plot. The central idea of the red pill is freedom. With great power comes great responsibility, and with greater risk comes greater reward. Freedom from the matrix results in more power for Neo, as Morpheus, Trinity, and other members of the crew had discovered. 

However, the foundation of Team Blue Pill's argument against the red pill was built upon already having a happy life inside the matrix, one that was not filled with danger. The matrix had all of the things we know in life today, and that would be enough for them. 

One of the biggest flaws I find in this reasoning is that knowing what the other side of reality brings, how could one think that a life inside the matrix is one that is lived to the fullest. Neo still had struggles when he was Thomas Anderson, working a basic office job where he still needed to confide in rules like being on time. There were still consequences inside the matrix. I would also argue that Thomas Anderson did not have a happy life like the blue side kept reiterating. He clearly becomes more fulfilled by the end of the film, even after all of the confusion and near-death experiences he faces.

This does not mean I don't see the appeal of the blue pill. The best counter that the blue pill team proposed was the connection to the Love, Death & Robots episode "Beyond The Aquila Rift." In this episode, it poses the same preposition as the Matrix. The woman Greta is protecting Thom by keeping him inside a simulation after a hibernation while traveling through space goes wrong. As Thom demands to see reality despite having a decently good time in the simulation, he quickly realizes that he should've been careful of what he wished for. However, I think that The Matrix poses a different scenario. Yes, both realities are one in which humans are captured and have no real chance to take over; But, Neo and the crew have more of a chance to make a change. They have the ability to master any task in a matter of minutes. What would be considered super-human in the matrix is ordinary in the real world. Letting your mind go is what really poses a filled life, even in the face of danger. 

In the end, there might not be a right answer. Neo was The One, but is that because he took the red pill or was it is destiny no matter what? What if a less significant person took the red pill? I believe that's what happened to Cypher. Chasing a dream of freedom might not work out for everyone; I think the right decision varies from person to person and each individual's goals for a good life. Personally, I want to always leave no doubts and have no regrets about what I do. I never want to ask what if? If you put your best effort forward, that's all that matters in the end, and just maybe something extraordinary can come out of it. Not everyone has this mentality toward life, however. For some, a quiet life with the people they love kept closest to them is the definition of a good life. For myself and Neo, the red pill is the way of life. For Cypher and others, the blue pill is more their speed.