I reviewed the premise of The Matrix, for this week's #HumpDayAndChill event, which is run by the talented Torum Artist @nekodiego. Neko-girl put several actors' names up for a Community vote and Keanu Reeves was picked by the majority of Landers, as this week's focus. Neko-girl even created a stunning portrait of Keanu, adding him to her excellent “American Success” Series. Why? Read on and you shall know! :)
The Matrix will come up, again and again, this week, I have no doubt. But that doesn’t faze me—imo, it is one of the most important philosophical films that a human being can ever watch. So I would neither be surprised nor care if The Matrix turns out to be EVERYONE’s pick. We all have unique stories to tell and different perspectives to share, so the overarching subject of the film or actor is just a conversation starter... A doorway into our personal world—what matters is not knowing of the film’s existence, but our REASON for selecting it as Keanu’s number one work, i.e., why did it resonate so deeply with each author?
With that in mind...
The fragile human condition comes with a plethora of handicaps, the primary one being that our imagination and desire always exceed the boundaries of our reality and ability. Every one of us has asked the most basic of all existential questions: “Why Am I Here?” and has wondered at some point: “Is This All There Is?”
We are hard-wired to gravitate toward discovering our true nature and purpose. This IS what it means to be sentient. This quest is inalienably tethered to our sense of worth, a.k.a. our happiness. Every person wishes to be special. To matter and be remembered after we’re gone. We often feel like pond-striders (Gerridae), skating on a mirror of borrowed time… or the shadow-watchers from Plato’s allegory, experiencing but a pale, two-dimensional shadow of reality, chained by our limited understanding of physics to the unyielding rails of time, in a confined space. But on a subconscious level, these limitations are comforting, as we instinctively know that there is a LOT more to the Universe, which we have no way of perceiving, experiencing or even measuring... 96% of our Universe's mass is accounted for by Dark Matter & Energy, which we can neither detect accurately nor measure: https://chandra.harvard.edu/darkuniverse/
Need a visual of how little our scientists understand of our reality? Look no further than this image:
But if we could see and know everything... COULD we really handle knowing the Mind of God, or would our psyche fizzle and pop like when a premature corn kernel hits a hot pan? Just like Cipher in the Matrix, many people would prefer to go through life without the burden of knowing... Yes, I said that we're wired to seek the ultimate Truth of our existance, but we're not wired to go all the way. For many, there is a point at which they wish to turn away, for when you stare into the abyss... a time comes when it stares back at you.
Imagine finding out that what we perceive to be our physical forms are really the true soul cages, shackling of our immortal, unlimited minds, to this mortal coil. Below the invisible veneer of surface tension of this Universe’s pond, lurk untold dangers and horrors, while above us boil the ever-changing clouds of our hopes and dreams.
Perhaps our entire existence is a cross between the doom of Tantalus in Tartarus and Prometheus or Tityus? With Sisyphus’ futile effort sprinkled in for good measure… No living being will ever know for certain. And the fear of the unknown is, perhaps, the root of all fear, hate and unhappiness.
The allure of The Matrix' storyline is that it presents us with a scenario where the protagonist both finds out what the Matrix is AND is able to rise to the challenge, take control of his own destiny and in so doing... save the world! 
The premise of the entire Matrix film saga is deftly summed up by this one scene: What IS real? And could we handle the truth?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5b0ZxUWNf0
The trouble with reality is that it’s IMPOSSIBLE to define and definitively state/know what is real. How do we classify the natural and unnatural phenomena around us? What part is simulation, what is fiction, what is superstition, what is illusion, what is delusion and what is true fact? When all is said and done, these are the questions that drive and divide us—think of how much suffering has been self-inflicted on humanity, over theological differences no one can prove or adequately explain…
For millennia our species have and continue to cause hell on Earth, while claiming to act in the name of Heaven.
Are we living in a simulation for the entertainment of a higher being? Are we part of something's elaborate dream? Neil deGrasse Tyson puts it beautifully: It's highly likely, but... “I guess it… doesn’t make any difference at all.” :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYAG9dAfy8U
The Matrix masterfully contrasts the concepts of control and free will and challenges us to consider what we truly want out of life and what we would do to ourselves and the world, if we wielded unlimited power. I have seen the films a couple of dozen times over the past two decades and although I can recite most scenes by heart, I still find it much more entertaining than 99% of our contemporary flicks.
The other thing I greatly admire about Keanu is unrelated to his formidable acting talent, the grand saga’s poignant story or cinematics. It has everything to do with his noble personality IRL. He gave away so much of his wealth (reportedly 70%) from the Matrix and is at it again, sharing his success with the people who made it possible. As a side note, it's really interesting that you can't find much about his altruism in the mainstream media. I searched, but nothing on BBC, CNN, etc. The IRL Matrix always tries to bury genuine stories of human kindness and compassion, that go against the callous rat-race narrative of blind avarice!
Friends, there are not many people I know of, who are alive today, whom I consider to be truly inspirational. Keanu is one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbmXyG-B1qo
Of all high human virtues and chivalry: generosity, loyalty, sincerity, kindness… this man has been truly blessed in spades. It’s such a pity that he’s had such a tempestuous life… His legendary generosity, sincere respect for women and humbling kindness are his greatest attributes and legacies that have earned him the apt title of Respectful King all around the Internet. This is why he was selected by our Artist Neko-Girl to feature in her "American Success" series. Yes, yes, Keanu is a Canadian of Lebanese origin, but "American" is not solely reserved for U.S. citizens. And even by that metric, he does live and work in the USA.
Ps. Thank GOD that Will Smith turned down the Matrix role. He’s a good actor, but Keanu was the perfect choice for the role. The Fresh Prince just does not have the grungy gutsy signature of Neo, imo. 
#HumpDayAndChill #DeepThoughts
