I watched ‘The Matrix’ so many times when I was a kid. It was the best thing ever. But there’s this one part with Neo and the Oracle that I still don’t get. It was supposed to be really important, everyone acted like it flew over my head, but they were just being pretentious.
Specifically, what happened was Neo went to visit the Oracle for the first time. She looked at him and said, “You’re not the one.” And all I could think was… what? Neo can’t be ‘The One’? He’s literally the main character! That can’t be right!
I mean seriously, it’s Keanu Reeves how is he not the hero?
For years, this bugged me. What did she mean? Wasn’t he going to save everybody from the Matrix?
Until yesterday, I didn't understand the meaning of that scene. While discussing it with a friend, they told me something that completely surprised me.
They said, "She never said he wasn’t the one, she only said he didn’t know yet, she said he was waiting for his next life."
And then it clicked. The Oracle hadn’t actually told Neo that he wasn’t the chosen one; she had merely informed him that he still lacked preparation to fulfill his destiny. He has more things to be taught and experiences to undergo before he can become the savior he is meant to be.
It was like a light switch had been flipped in my head. Everything suddenly became clear.
What strikes me now is that Neo’s progress was not about becoming a superhero, with skills in martial arts and bullet-dodging capabilities. It was about finding oneself; confronting one’s fears and doubts; transforming into the person you were meant to be.
That is why I consider “The Matrix” a masterpiece. It is more than mere mindless violence or special effects. It’s about being human: locating oneself in the world and achieving self-actualization.
Whenever I watch the part with Neo and the Oracle now, I never see it the same way twice anymore. Now it seems like sometimes we’re not ready for who we need to be. Sometimes there are things we have to do first before becoming that person; we need to go through some hard times that will teach us important lessons about ourselves.
I think everyone should remember this, whether they live in reality or find themselves stuck in an illusion like the Matrix.