My Matrix.

There is a concept my mind has been chewing on. I have become aware that I am a part of several communities that I interact with on a daily basis, but which I am totally disconnected with. These “Matrix Communities,” as I call them, occur where people are gathered in close proximity, but not necessarily in social settings. Maybe it’s a coffee shop… a doctor’s waiting room…a bus for the morning commute. They are everywhere.

Think about it. How many distinct groups of people are you around every day? Groups of individuals that you recognize, yet know nothing about? Maybe you have already assumed personalities or life stories for these people. You may know everything about them-in your mind. But it’s all an illusion. This is the Matrix.

For example, I workout at a particular gym at a particular time of the day, several days a week. So do approximately 100-200 other people. These are the people in my Matrix. I don’t know them. But when members of my community are absent, I notice. When there are new people, I notice. There is a subconscious connection with these strangers. I enjoy being in their company. Why?

I think it has to do with another “Matrix” concept: ignorance is bliss. When we bounce from one community to the next, we only see the surface of each member’s life. We come to our own conclusions about what is underneath. And in my communities, everyone is happy-their lives are free from pain and worry. I have decided this for them. My Matrix is comforting and I can share in their illusion.

It’s easy to go through life this way-not caring to go deeper than the surface. Not marring the complexion of our Matrix communities by crossing over the line into the reality of each member’s life.

With reality comes pain, but through pain you find love. Break the Matrix.

More to come…