Is Reality Really Real?
I watched The Matrix last night for technically the first time, but between the internet and being in the room when my parents have had it on, Ive seen a lot of it in bits and pieces, and certainly seen all the action scenes, anyways. Im not here to review it, interestingly enough. Im here to talk about a central concept, if not the most central concept in the movie. This stuck out to me because its something Ive been thinking about for years, and have tried to explain to many different people. Its a concept that I personally struggle with, because I have a lot of moments that are part of my reality that arent real. Real to others, that is. Im glad you asked. I am someone who experiences sleep paralysis. This means that sometimes when I wake up, I cant move my body, and I am stuck between dreaming and being awake, so I hallucinate things in the real world. Youve probably heard of sleep paralysis demons, the scary monsters that stand in the corner of your room and stare at you as youre stuck, paralyzed. Thats what I have! Its interesting, to say the least. For me, I not only see these monsters, but hear them sometimes, as well. Theyre very realistic, but they arent real, of course. I also have this neat thing where I can feel physical sensations in my dreams, like pain! Both of these sleep related oddities have been happening to me for around a decade. I have a lot of dreams where I get hurt, or even die. And while Im sure I dont feel the pain to the extent that I would in real life, somehow my brain still makes me feel hurt. And it is genuinely painful, sometimes even after I wake up. Whenever I would try to describe this to people, I would compare it to what I imagine a phantom pain is like for someone who has lost a limb. There is nothing that is actually hurting, no damage, but somehow your brain convinces you that it does hurt, and just because it isnt real doesnt mean it doesnt hurt. My day to day reality. Theyre real to me, the monsters, the pain, its real in some form, but only to me. It makes you question what reality even means. If someone is colorblind and cant see blue, that doesnt mean blue isnt real, it just means that blue is not a part of their reality. Okay, maybe Im going a little too far, but you get what Im saying. Bottom line is, everyone experiences reality differently. There is no true real, because real means something different for everyone. Doesnt that just trip you out?! I dont want to say Im having an existential crisis here or anything, but it really makes you think (plus I have existential crises everyday, so, nothing too unusual). Brains are weird, and thats really all I came here to say. Let me know in the comments, and have a great, reality-filled day! -AMS