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How Is The Matrix Similar To The Allegory Of The Cave

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How Is The Matrix Similar To The Allegory Of The Cave
1. My experience in the Matrix is similar to your Allegory of the Cave in the sense that it has taught me how to perceive my reality and to differentiate between what is real and what is not. Your allegory talks about prisoners being trapped in a cave, restricted by chains with their backs towards the exit, only being able to see shadows produced by a source of fire. This means that the shadows are the only thing they know, which is their reality. Once someone is able to breakthrough and find the exit of the cave, they are exposed to a whole new world they are very unfamiliar with, the outside world, or the true reality. It takes time to adjust because everything is so foreign, but it eventually happens and the individual ends up going …show more content…
The prisoners understandingly become very defensive and are unaccepting of this foreign reality they are being told of since the only reality they know of is the shadows. Similarly, I was trapped in a false reality by a computer program. We are all controlled by machines which restrict us to only seeing certain things, which is what they (the Agents) want us to see, therefore altering our reality from the true reality. The Resistance (humanity) can be compared with the prisoners in the cave since these individuals are trapped in the universe as so was I, before I found out about the true reality through choosing a red pill, which was essentially my escape. Although I was not restricted by chains, I was however still exposed to the true reality that is not the Matrix. I had to adapt to the foreign reality and learn that the real world is not what I thought it was, similarly to an exposed prisoner as they also have to come to the conclusion that the shadows are not reality, instead they are just silhouettes produced by rays …show more content…
The light at the end of the path of ascent is the ultimate escape, or the sun which ultimately leads to the Form of the Good that is the end of the path. The sun represents the truth, knowledge and virtue, which is what the Matrix is not. Those who lived in the cave were ignorant to the real world and observed shadows on the cave wall, which was their reality. When the curious one out of the bunch discovered an exit, they were blinded by the sun because they were so used to the darkness of that which consumed the cave. This “blindness” is enlightenment in regards to the real world and this is when they start their quest of self-discovery and true reality. This ultimately leads to the Form of the Good as one’s knowledge of what makes up the real world becomes a knowledge of virtue or goodness. I am a perfect example of this. When I was freed from the Matrix, I followed a path of self-discovery, that being I am the One, and found out more about the real world. At first I was doubtful of myself, but my skills increased and I adapted. This knowledge lead me to the end of the path, the light, that is the ultimate good, which is why I still went towards it. The more blind I get, the more I learn, the less ignorant I become, and the wiser I get. These allow me to grow as a person and learn the true meaning of what is

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