Because I Choose To

Copyright © 2004 T.D. McKenzie. All rights reserved.

For many science fiction fans, 2003 was the year of The Matrix, where we saw not one but two sequels released in the same year: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were follow-ups to the sleeper hit The Matrix, which was released in 1998.

Of these two films, I must admit that Revolutions is by far my favourite. If you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, let me fill you in a little about the basic plot.

The Matrix films take place in a distant future, when mankind has been enslaved by sentient machines that now rule the earth, and use humans as their very own energy source.

To control humans, the machines have created an artificial reality called the Matrix, which looks very much like our own world, but it’s really a computer simulation that is meant to hide humans from the real truth of their existence.

Some of the humans who have escaped the Matrix form a resistance and wage war against the machines, all in the hope of destroying the machines and freeing the human race from its virtual prison.

In this bleak drama, we learn of a person known as Neo (also known as “The One”), who is a special human being whom many freed humans believe is destined to destroy the Matrix and free the rest of the human race.

In one climatic scene, the viewer witnesses Neo fighting a losing battle with his arch-nemesis, Agent Smith. Despite his best efforts, Neo is unable to match the incredible power of Smith; after a ferocious battle, Neo is weary and exhausted. However, each time he gets knocked down, he manages to somehow get back to his feet, face his enemy and continue the fight.

This infuriates Smith, as he is sure his opponent cannot win; yet, each time he delivers a decisive blow to Neo, he simply gets back up to face him. When he is unable to hold back his anger any longer, he screams at Neo, “Why, Mr Anderson? Why do you keep fighting?” And in one of the classic lines from the film trilogy, Neo replies, “Because I choose to!”

You may be wondering what all of this has to do with you, so let me explain.

Many of us have been so conditioned to accept poor health, careers we don’t enjoy, poverty, and relationships that drain us, we often forget that we have choices in these matters. This problem is made even worse by the fact that we sometimes feel that we need to make up reasons for seeking better lives for ourselves.

I’ve noticed throughout the years that whenever I’ve decided to change an aspect of my life, someone, somewhere, was always quick to ask:

Why do you want to improve yourself?
Why do you want to change your life?
Why do you want to buy a bigger home?
Why do you want to change careers?
Why do you want to make more money?

These questions were usually posed by individuals who either felt threatened by my decision to improve my life, or found it almost impossible to understand why a person would want to.

Often, when challenged in this way, you may feel a need to justify yourself and your actions. The truth is, you don’t have to find a reason to justify why you want to live in a mansion, own a Bentley or start a new business; you do it because you choose to!

You can walk into any bookstore and pick up a self-help book that will give you any number of reasons as to why you should be a success; however, the real reason – the only reason you will ever be able to put your finger on with any certainty – is that you decided that you wanted it.

In truth, most of the reasons we have are simply artificial, mental constructs that we create to justify our actions, and ultimately they don’t really matter anyway.

So what are you waiting for?

Create the life you’ve always dreamed of, do the things you’ve always wanted to do, and stop justifying your actions to those who will never understand.

Why?

Because you choose to!

Best of success,
T.D. McKenzie