Indeed. This ignores that neo was fundamentally unhappy in his matrix life.
The movie implies or outright states that he is unhappy in his job, has no idea or real care about his future career or life, he lives alone and doesn’t really seek or desire relationships with others, romantic or otherwise. No significant other, not friends or family are shown to be important to him. No romantic partner. He sells hacks in his spare time but for what reason? He doesn’t seem to spend a lot of money. His clothes and home are pretty low end. He searches for “the matrix” and Trinity whom he believes will lead him to answers. That’s his life. He wouldn’t have even gone to the party if not for the white rabbit message from a person claiming to be Trinity.
But we see he DOES care about his life. He doesn't want to die. He isn’t suicidal. It isn’t like he believes or feels life is pointless, he clearly feels there IS a point, a mystery to solve, or wants there to be a point- and is looking for it
So we can say that his entire existence is more or less, him wanting to find the matrix and get his answers.
If he didn’t take the way out, he likely would have drifted through life looking for an answer he’d never find but once had a dream about. Dying with a hole inside of himself. So for sure, I’m with you on this.
And of course they touch on why they can’t tell you first- some people “crack.” And without seeing it yourself, you’d be unlikely to accept that you lived inside a battery farm in the future just because someone told you so. More importantly what isn’t said (that I recall) but is evident- the machines would likely kill you or push you into some sort of socially marginalized lobotomized or psychotic state so that you posed no danger and your ramblings if any would go unheard. They control the matrix by and large, so getting you inside the matrix wouldn’t be too hard. Morpheus and crew could protect you to some extent, at great effort, for a limited time- but at the movies start that is a prospect that would take all their resources and end in failure and likely their deaths too.
We see how dangerous it is just to contact someone to try and break them out. Even with jamming and such the machines find out quickly and respond aggressively.
But so long as your plugged into the matrix from birth, they have physical possession of your body and control your life or death biologically. The “free” humans only have to worry about physical death if a machine hunts then down and they can’t hide. The main danger to them is death of the mind. The matrix sets up that the mind and body can’t live without the other. Being jacked in to the matrix as a free human means the machines only have one diste access to your mind. Being not free, they can kill your mind and if that can’t be done, they only need enough time to find your body and kill it.
So to NOT separate someone from the matrix before telling them the “secret” is basically a death sentence wether they decide to join or not. Once they know the truth, they can’t go back in. In theory. It’s alluded to that they might be able to erase memories and such- but only really in a deal with Cypher which we have no reason to believe was genuine. Morpheus says that his people can make neo wake up and believe everything up until being told the truth is a dream, and when smith interrogates neo- he wakes up remembering what happened but feeling it was a dream. No evidence shows then making anyone forget exactly. We see people being influenced but not controlled.
If it were so easy and possible to control human minds the matrix wouldn’t need to exist would it? They wouldn’t have had to destroy past matrices.
The convoluted set up is that the human mind needs this sort of stimulation but can’t believe that which is too “perfect,” but then… why not lobotomize your batteries or breed them to be simple to the point of almost only basic biological functions?
Why not create a matrix in a far off past with less technology or knowledge? So many possibilities for better chances at control and compliance or for “humane” methodologies if that was a goal.
But the set up is that the matrix is necessary to the entire system, and if they could “program” the human mind, they wouldn’t need an elaborate and secret system of control based in psychology and manipulation. They could just program the human mind to do and thing whatever they needed for things to work. What’s more- why would they need to have agents take over peoples bodies and all this stuff if they could just have any person become a programmed puppet?
So MAYBE it is possible but just very risky or complicated to do, but evidence suggests that you can’t completely manipulate human memory or thought in the matrix. We know they can manipulate it to some degree- it appeared that the skills programs used to teach things like piloting vehicles or combat skills operate by “implanting memories” or at the least through some sort of accelerated learning that bypasses traditional cognition or absorbtion methods. So there is some evidence that the mind can be influenced, but I’d say that based on context, it just wouldn’t be prudent or safe go give someone the knowledge about the matrix while they were still a part of the matrix.
So beyond any arguments about neos life and happiness, by the time someone has shown so much drive and investment and discomfort with the world and some invisible thing they feel is “off,” they need to either fully commit or give up on knowing the truth or else die basically.
The movie implies or outright states that he is unhappy in his job, has no idea or real care about his future career or life, he lives alone and doesn’t really seek or desire relationships with others, romantic or otherwise. No significant other, not friends or family are shown to be important to him. No romantic partner. He sells hacks in his spare time but for what reason? He doesn’t seem to spend a lot of money. His clothes and home are pretty low end. He searches for “the matrix” and Trinity whom he believes will lead him to answers. That’s his life. He wouldn’t have even gone to the party if not for the white rabbit message from a person claiming to be Trinity.
But we see he DOES care about his life. He doesn't want to die. He isn’t suicidal. It isn’t like he believes or feels life is pointless, he clearly feels there IS a point, a mystery to solve, or wants there to be a point- and is looking for it
If he didn’t take the way out, he likely would have drifted through life looking for an answer he’d never find but once had a dream about. Dying with a hole inside of himself. So for sure, I’m with you on this.
But so long as your plugged into the matrix from birth, they have physical possession of your body and control your life or death biologically. The “free” humans only have to worry about physical death if a machine hunts then down and they can’t hide. The main danger to them is death of the mind. The matrix sets up that the mind and body can’t live without the other. Being jacked in to the matrix as a free human means the machines only have one diste access to your mind. Being not free, they can kill your mind and if that can’t be done, they only need enough time to find your body and kill it.
If it were so easy and possible to control human minds the matrix wouldn’t need to exist would it? They wouldn’t have had to destroy past matrices.
Why not create a matrix in a far off past with less technology or knowledge? So many possibilities for better chances at control and compliance or for “humane” methodologies if that was a goal.
But the set up is that the matrix is necessary to the entire system, and if they could “program” the human mind, they wouldn’t need an elaborate and secret system of control based in psychology and manipulation. They could just program the human mind to do and thing whatever they needed for things to work. What’s more- why would they need to have agents take over peoples bodies and all this stuff if they could just have any person become a programmed puppet?
So beyond any arguments about neos life and happiness, by the time someone has shown so much drive and investment and discomfort with the world and some invisible thing they feel is “off,” they need to either fully commit or give up on knowing the truth or else die basically.