The Matrix vs. Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Reality is our perception of the world, when not in dream. Reality is being awake, aware that anything can happen, and hardly having control over any of it. In dreams we get what we can't have in reality. It's the outside world, if you will. The Matrix makes the distinction between reality and illusion. The movie says reality is an illusion. It's only what we see that we believe in; leaving us with the question of what there is beyond our eyes. I do believe that imagination can be a substitute for real life, as it was portrayed in "Diving Bell and the Butterfly". However, can illusion be a substitute for real life? No. It can't, illusion is used in worst case scenarios when we're too afraid to face reality. Illusions just blind us of what's really going on, therefore leaving them useless in any situation because you will NEVER be able to ignore what's right there in your face. Reality is going to hit you straight across the face, everyday, every time.

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In the movie, "Diving Bell and the Butterfly", a character tells Jean-Do "find the thing inside you that is human and hold onto it...” We are, by far, the most distinct creatures on Earth. There is no way we are similar to any other animal. And what separates us from them is our mind. We have finer sensitivities. Other animals rely on instinct; they do not carry immense emotion which cannot exist, otherwise, without thoughts or imagination. The human mind is the most complex and unique thing. It's what make us human, it is what's inside us to make us human. In the movie, Jean-Do proves that all it takes is a little imagination to see beyond the world we live in. We can learn in greater depth about people and things that you don't physically have to be in a healthy human state to experience that; just like Jean-Do learned to communicate with a blink of his left eye. Being paralyzed did not stop him from being as human as he could have been. He held onto what was dear to him and continued on with life, despite it all. We are more amazing then we really realize it, and we take it for granted. We should not wait for something to happen to live life to its fullest. Jean-Do taught us all that.