In the Matrix, we are told that the world that we live in isn't real. The "real" world has been reduced to rubble. We are all unknowingly part of a Matrix; our world is basically a computer program, and we have no real control over our lives or our world. Thankfully, this is just a movie (or is it?). But the characters in the movie are forced to make the choice between learning the truth and remaining ignorant.
Of course, one could say that this is a simple choice. Who wouldn't want to know the truth? Why would anybody want to live in the dark? Knowing the truth must be the better choice. If you know the truth then, even if you're unhappy, at least you're not living a lie. Neo chooses to take the red pill, and it changes his entire life. If he had chosen to take the blue pill, however, would his life have been any worse? He could have woken up in his own bed, and not even remembered his encounter with Morpheus. He never would have known that he was being ignorant. Personally, I think it can be argued that he could have lived a happier life if he had taken the blue pill. Cypher chose to take the red pill like Neo did, so at some point, he also thought that it was better to know the truth. But in the movie, after years of living in the "real" world, we realize that Cypher cannot tolerate the truth. He is absolutely miserable, and attempts to get inserted back into the Matrix, back into ignorance. According to him, "ignorance is bliss." Is it worth knowing the truth if you end up living an unhappy life? I personally don't think so. I'd rather be happy and ignorant.
The topics of ignorance and truth have been compared and contemplated by many incredible minds. The one thing that I immediately thought of while I was watching this movie was Plato's Allegory of the Cave. For all of the people in the cave, the truth, reality, all that exists are the shadows on the walls. We could call these people ignorant, but they don't know any better. They are mistaken as to what reality is. These prisoners are much like all of the humans who were living in the Matrix. But is life really better outside of the cave? When a prisoner is released outside into the real world, his eyes burn from the sun. This world is much too different, too complex, too unreal to him. He has trouble believing any of it. He wants to go back into the cave.
Is there any happy medium between ignorance and knowing the truth? I really don't think there can be. In our world, once you know the truth, you can never completely forget it. At some point in life, everybody must choose either to be exposed to reality, as awful as it may be, or to live in their cave. Neither of these options are completely fulfilling, and I doubt that one can ever be completely sure that their decision was the right one.
Hey Hannah! Fantastic post. I love the question that you bring up towards the end of your blog post because I constantly wonder the same thing. It's challenging to tell whether or not knowledge is power or ignorance is bliss today. For example, I can recall plenty of moments in which I've withheld information solely because I knew that it would change my life at that moment. Yet, I can also say that in the back of my mind at that time, I was dying to find out the information. There's no way to tell which is better because both have pros and cons. Ultimately, the only thing we can do is act according based on whichever path we choose to take.
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