As Trinity makes her rooftop escape, pursued by Agent Brown and several police, she makes a seemingly impossible jump. The police, who are just men, wearing a uniform, doing a job, stop. Their lives, their futures just aren’t worth the risk. Trinity is unrestricted by such limitations and running for her life.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

- Hippocrates

Of course, we know that in the movie, the Matrix is not real. As such, the constructed reality is limited, to some extent, by belief. This is one of the strongest messages that comes from the authors. Although, it would be inadvisable to attempt a forty foot leap between seven story buildings, regardless of personal conviction, the idea still somehow compelling.

As a metaphor though, with the Matrix representing the rules of society, the majority of people will see anything that breaks the rules as impossible.

The only exceptions are those who have equal conviction in upholding one law at the expense of breaking another… ie. an agent.

Ultimately, there is only one single truth, the rest are illusions created by a dream-state induced and maintained by society. But, when you are in that dream-state, believing that illusion, how would you know whether what you believe is the real truth?

What if you were unable to wake from that dream, Neo?

How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?

 

- Morpheus

In the past, wise men discovered methods to get groups of unruly individuals to cooperate for mutual benefit. Unfortunately, these methods often came with elaborate and fantastical explanations as to the reasons the methods should be employed. This was either done because the true reason was not understood, or the unruly individuals, not being as smart as the wise man, would not understand,or agree with, the planned outcome of the method.

Regardless of the stories, myths or dogma that supported these methods, like lies to children, they perform a function in binding society. Of course, one has to consider what happens when those children grow up and the lies become a burden on society. Which is where we are now.

Our current situation of technological and scientific advancement requires that such childish ideas need to be corrected before civilisation can move on. A future of accelerating knowledge, accelerating population, accelerating energy requirement and accelerating technology cannot be held back by reasoning that no longer makes sense. We must, put such foolish notions aside and concentrate on truth, factual, scientific truth, not myth and conjecture.

…a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind.

 

Morpheus

However, unlike the Matrix in the movie, it is not a computer system, it is a social one. A complex network of rules, regulations, dogma and belief that shapes our understanding, our reality, our abilities and our expectations. It creates a false reality, that bears little relation to our true humanity.

“an intuitive program designed to investigate certain aspects of the human psyche”

 

and that she

 

“stumbled upon a solution whereby nearly 99% of all test subjects accepted the program, as long as they were given a choice, even if they were only aware of the choice at a near unconscious level.”

We know she is a part of the system and so represents an aspect of society. Oracles are consulted for guidance. They tell prophecies and offer hope. This one offers candy and cookies… maybe to sweeten the bitter realities of life? Throughout the story, she talks about belief and offers the choice “to believe her or not”.

The Oracle symbolises religion… as Karl Marx put it… “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”

She is the feminine principle a way of keeping the right brain sated whilst the masculine principle takes control. Not everyone accepts her as truth, but enough do to allow it to happen.