What Is Real?

"What is real?  How do you define real?
If you're talking about
your senses; what you feel, taste,
smell, or see, then all you're
talking about are electrical
signals interpreted by your brain."

On occasion I turn to some of the greatest fiction ever told to explain myself. I'm not a religious man, but The Matrix speaks volumes to me. I don't believe in aliens, but Half-Life might has well be a history lesson for me. What's interesting about both of these fiction pieces is that they blend the line between reality and fiction.

It's undeniable that The Matrix is one of the greatest fiction stories ever told. I'm not talking about Reloaded or Revolutions, some of the worst fiction ever told (although it is worth noting that while the general public - myself included - did not enjoy the second two films, the trilogy taken as a whole presents some fascinating philosophy to pour over). The original 1999 The Matrix put into question our existence as it stands today, and the back story to the movie seems perfectly plausible: artificial intelligence that becomes so good it overtakes our own civilization. How ironic would (will?) that be? At the same time, if we are already living in a Matrix of our own, then would our machine overlords allow us to develop such technology within the borders of our own prison? I get goosebumps when I think too deeply into this.

On the flip side, Half-Life is easily one of the best action games of all time, with a mildly straight-ahead story to boot, yet it is set up with a more fictional plausibility. Half-Life 2, and its subsequent Episodes, represent more challenging questions about human nature, the progress of civilization, and our fuzzy future. I expect (rather, hope) that when Episode Three hits next year, one of the greatest stories ever told comes to a take-no-prisoners, heart-pounding, genre-defining resolution.

Both of these works represent some of the most influential fiction in my life, and the inspiration for much of my philosophy on life. I'm not a religious man, but I certainly to believe in Neo and Gordon Freeman.