Inner Balance - Example One - The Matrix

If you haven't seen the Matrix then don't bother reading this.

In the Matrix, Morpheous is a great example of someone with inner balance. His humanity and love come through in every scene.

Trinity has good inner balance. Her mantra of 'focus Trinity' helps her to regain her inner balance when fear begins to overpower her humanity.

Neo has no awareness of inner balance. When selling moody software his inner balance is displayed. He could feel scared or fearful but he does not. He retains control over his inner monkey / amygdala / lizard / ancient parts of his brain. So, that is an example of Neo having inner balance.

Neo has two interviews, the first with his boss about time keeping. Neo has inner balance but feels uncomfortable at his boss attempting to be an alpha male. Neo uncomfortably accepts the role of beta but when he returns to his desk he doesn't even bother switching on his work station.

Very quickly his inner balance is shattered as he attempts to escape Agent Smith. His inner monkey is in full ascendance as he attempts to walk along a high ledge to the window cleaners 'lift'.

Many of you might say that it was a scary situation and it was understandable that he was scared. Yes it is understandable but it is also unnecessary. Being scared does not help with cognitive thought or with motor skills. Being scared simply increased his chances of plummeting to his death. Zero inner balance for Neo.

Now he has his second interview, this time with three agents. He maintains a remarkable inner balance for a period before losing it. Again, losing his inner balance and succumbing to fear was entirely reasonable but unnecessary. Contrast this with Morpheous who never lost his inner balance and never succumbed to fear.

All this post is designed to do is to make you aware of when you have inner balance, such that you can detect when you are losing it. To simply sensitise you to yourself.

As the film progresses, Neo does remain composed and competent in ever 'scarier' circumstances. His inner balance maintained despite increasingly harsh environments.

When Neo meets the Oracle, he is over alert. 'Jittery as a dune bug'. This isn't scared but it is not a relaxed state of inner balance either. Perhaps a state of anxiety. Despite the great importance of this meeting, Morpheous remains balanced. Trinity is hardly relaxed either.

Hopefully, as you remember or review the film, you will see these themes played out and be able to relate them to instances in your own life.

Remembering that when Neo believes in himself his inner balance is as strong as Morpheous's.

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A question I often ask myself is how profitable / productive / effective would a company be if staffed by people with inner balance, like Morpheous.

Well, an Agent can punch through concrete and dodge bullets. Yet Morpheous went up against one and fought well. He fought effectively. A 'normal' Matrix occupant would have been casually tossed away like a rag doll. Which answers my question.

The alpha males among you might want to run an office of Morpheous / balanced individuals, not realising that this would transform you the alpha into a beta. An alpha male requires you to believe in societies rules more than you believe in yourself. The alphas power is grounded in the rules of society, which is why an alpha male or female is an amusing character to a balanced individual. Rules of society are merely controlling mechanisms to turn a human being into a member of the public. An alpha is a member of public and as such will never be as powerful as a human being can be.

To a Morpheous character / balanced individual an alpha male is a comedic figure. As is any 'authority' figure. Even the Oracle never expected Morpheous to do anything other than 'make up his own mind'.

OK, so which character do I associate with?

An early Neo?

Trinity?

Morpheous?

Or the 'One'?

Well, simply put, we are all the 'One'.

We are all born as Morpheous, trained to be early Neo's which we may overcome with age and experience back into Morpheous's.

As for the 'One', he is designed to make a choice that only he can make. Hence the name the 'One'.

In the film this choice boils down to one thing, what does he love the most. The entirety of mankind or Trinity?

The One decides that he doesn't believe this choice. No fear and no doubt. The consequences of being wrong are as high as they could possibly be and yet his inner balance remains. The 'One' chooses to be a Morpheous, confirming that we are all the 'One'.

Remembering now that Neo was correct. The 'Architect' wrong. The Oracle could not see the 'happy ending' but she did believe and in doing so became a Morpheous herself.

The story boils down to one of choice. We all have a choice regardless of not being aware of that choice.

We can choose to be that which we are or we can continue to play the 'society' game and suffer the consequences.

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There are three Matrix films and I suggest you watch them all. Although Neo shows most growth in this, the first film. Trinity develops over all three.

Agent Smith is interesting. He and Morpheus seem similar. Both start with permanent inner balance. Agent Smith, a sentient program, develops hate and in doing so loses inner balance. Morpheous, has love in abundance and his inner balance is untroubled by thoughts, actions, the past, present or the future.

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There are many other 'cult' films that I could 'explain' in terms of inner balance. However, there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

I humbly suggest that you develop your capacity for love and inner balance together, it is easier as they both compliment and reinforce each other.

However, you are free to choose to suffer.