The Matrix-- What it means to be living

       The Matrix, directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, is a mind-bending, science fiction film, exploring the ideas of a world within a world. The main character is a man named Thomas, who during the day is an average guy, but at night, takes on another character of Neo, a computer hacker. Neo is tracked down by Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker who is wanted by the government (the agents). Morpheus introduces Neo to the reality of the life he is living; a destroyed world where humans are simply part of a machine-- the matrix-- that lives off of energy supplied by humans. Throughout the movie, questions of reality -- actually living vs. being part of a computer program-- come up frequently, and the idea of what is means to be alive guides the movie. 
        This movie connects to our philosophy study of what is a person, and what our body and mind actually are and do. The whole set up of the movie is a time when our world has been destroyed, and we (as humans) are living in a machine called the matrix in which we supply energy to keep it going. As I was watching this, I found myself baffled at this whole idea of this lifestyle. I questioned whether you could actually call this living. 
       Chapter 13 from Philosophy for Dummies is labeled, "What is a Person?". In this chapter it states, "If you believe that all that exists is matter, then you'll naturally believe we are nothing but matter." I guess from reading this, you could say that yes, living within a machine is living, because we are matter within that machine. But the next part of that section says, "If you think that all is mental, you'll believe that we human beings are all fundamentally nonmaterial minds." In this case, it takes a little more than simply being matter to be classified as a living person.
       I personally agree more with the second part. I think being programmed into a machine and not really having any control of yourself is not real living. I think it's more about your mind, and your abilities to think and feel and speak for yourself-- for what you believe; not what some computer program is telling you to. It's crazy, this idea that we could be living our lives within a machine and have no idea whatsoever. But I think we can't let ourselves think that way, because as far as we know now as people, we are living. We have the capability to say what we want, and feel what we want. Our minds and bodies are who we are. The Matrix is a movie that makes your head hurt, trying to wrap your mind around what it is suggesting about a possible form of human race. But when you really see the difference between living and just being part of the system, is when Neo is taken out of the Matrix, and isn't plugged into any machines or having formulas programmed into his mind. He is simply living, and breathing, and thinking. He is more than just a piece of matter when he is out of the matrix. He is a human being.