What is the matrix? This essential question, as good as it might appear at first, is not as important as the question for the "why". Why is the matrix? And this question ultimately leads to the most dangerous question of all times: "What is our purpose?" Which is not any different from "What is the meaning of life?", a question that can haunt your existence to the very end, or on some occasions, might even lead to it.
When I first entered the matrix I felt the need to ponder about this for a while. I looked around me, knowing I was seeing only an illusion of reality, and behind this well crafted veil of deception, a constant stream of information, a world of bytes and bits, and me just another accumulation of data in this digital dreamland.
This thought made me smile, as it was strangely comforting. It takes some time to see the beauty of the matrix, but if you compare the artificial construct to the "real" world, it might occur to you, that they are not that different in the end. Both follow the same basic principles on a molecular level. Both adhere to certain laws and conditions, which serve as a fundamental base.
Shortly after becoming aware of my surroundings, I met the so called Collectors. I was amazed by the simplicity of their ambitions. Keys, gained by violently dispatching some seemingly aggressive avatars nearby. Sadly shaking my head I turned away. The matrix offers so much freedom to the awakened, so why is most of its potential used to deconstruct things?
Slightly disgusted I focused and began to write a simple code, which soon took the shape of a human. Simulacrums are they called, some kind of golems to do your bidding, and I still have to figure out how much of an own will they might possess. Satisfied that I had been part of a creational process I began to explore the area, keeping the newly born entity by my side, for I knew I trod on dangerous ground.
After a while I had seen enough for the first day, so I sat down and closed my eyes. I was tired, but there was also a calm serenity within me, for I had realized another personal truth: Once again, though I now knew it was only an artificial world, I felt at home.