I don't know if anyone was genuinely troubled by the movie or not, but I do know of some who, after (and before!) watching it, were reminded of the fact that many things in life simply cannot be taken for granted.  While this is a BIG step forward in character- and mind-building (in my opinion), there is a parallel danger of encountering unnecessary doubts and being skeptical of just about everything in life i.e. total and non-stop doubting.

Taking our cue from there, let's dive into the question of the day (something which greatly disturbed our hero in Matrix-land):

"How do we know we're living in the REAL world?  How do we know we're NOT merely dreaming?"

Let's begin by looking at another similar question : How do you know that every word you're saying now is NOT plain nonsense?

The answer is self-evident : If EVERY word you speak is nonsense, then the very construction of the sentence, "I am speaking nonsense" would be by nature NONSENSICAL and thus 'wraps back' on itself, destroying its own validity.  The statement cannot be meaningful without at the same time rendering itself invalid; the moment you discover what it means, it blows itself up.

In the same way, anyone who teaches that "Everything is merely a dream - we are all living in a dream world" without showing how HE can be aware of this will be shown to be self-stultifying from the very start.

For Neo the Hero - that rhymes - it's okay to say this because Morphy and the red pill 'redeemed' him from, and made him 'aware of', the illusion of the Matrix, not to mention the rest of N's experiences.  Hey, I'd also be preaching the Matrix gospel if I had a mechanical lobster stuffed inside my navel, man!

Would anyone wish to suggest that he's had a similar experience? *grin*

(Note : Even in 'Matrix', there is a 'real' world which even Neo believe exists - the world 'beyond' the Matrix.  The problem was that once the Artificially Intelligent computers prevailed some time in the 21st Century, the human race was eventually 'brain-washed' with everyone being grown - and 'harvested'! - and placed inside some techno-cocoon, having cyber-reality 'fed' into them since birth.  Hence to these humans life is all cyber-reality.)

Because if you and your words are UNREAL (i.e. nothing more than a dream or an illusion), then doesn't that simultaneously make what you've just said INVALID?  If you proclaim the whole of existence to be merely an illusion then unless you show that your words are somehow excluded from the influence of this illusion, then wouldn't your sentence 'evaporate' the very moment it's grasped?  If you state that "All is a dream", then wouldn't this include your words and your conclusions as well?

It's like saying : "All sentences are wrong".

(I'm also reminded of the joke about a student challenging his professor, "Prove to me that I exist!".  The professor looked up from his desk and said, "And who, may I ask, would like to know?".)

So the question, "How do I know that all of existence is not a dream, not unreal?" can be responded to by noting that a negative answer - that "Everything is unreal" - will self-destruct the moment it's formulated.  This position (and others like it) cannot be maintained and made meaningful at the same time.  Hence, the question was 'flawed' all along.

Conclusion : Our existence and reality cannot be merely an illusion because the very ACT of reflecting on this presupposes the validity of our reflection without which any forthcoming conclusion will be invalid.  Yet it is this very validity which subsequently destroys any notion of 'illusory existence'!

It is the ultimate Catch-22.

1. "But what if my reflection is real, but EVERYTHING ELSE is unreal?"

This does away with the 'self-destruct' mechanism but it also arbitrarily excludes our reasoning from being an illusion when ALL ELSE apparently is (even the brains from which our reasoning partially developed...).  But if we don't wish to doubt our own reflective capacity, then why doubt everything else?

If the conclusion that "Life is a dream" is itself NOT a dream, then why shouldn't the rest of life be just as real?
 

2. "But haven't you ever REALISED that you were dreaming WHILST you were dreaming?  And couldn't THAT phenomenon reflect something 'bigger' in life?"

The first question is of course a separate issue about intra-dream consciousness during sleep processes.  It's a legitimate course of inquiry, for sure, only let's never 'escalate' this issue into one whereby we end up doubting the reality of everyday reality!

Because even if it is postulated that Ultimate Reality' may resemble our 'dream-life', the postulator still has the proof-burden of showing how he realises this and what it is we'll 'wake-up' to discover.  For even when we're dreaming, we KNOW OF a world which is not merely a dream.  And it is this absolute and firm awareness of a non-dream reality (of which everyday you're a part!) which allows you to analyse/reflect/conclude within your dream that you are, in fact, merely dreaming.  Ironically the 'dream-life' analogy would point even more to the fact that our lives ARE for real!

Thus, to speak meaningfully that, "Life is a dream" without speaking of that Life which is NOT a dream (plus showing how you managed to 'wake-up' long enough to realise this!) is to severely beg the question.

It seems no different from asking how we know we're NOT being controlled by invisible space jellyfish who've penetrated our heads, manipulated our neural circuits, poisoned our brains and... well... you get the picture.  ;>)

Finally, there could be the incredible suggestion:
 

3. "But isn't it possible that what happened in the 'Matrix' is happening RIGHT NOW??"

Well, yeah, just like it's possible that there could be a horde of alien space-invaders roaming the universe looking for planets to destroy; or the next persons you meet could really be Martians wearing 'human suits' being chased by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith (or some other men in black); or during the next rocket launch the astronauts might bump into Luke Skywalker taking Princess Leia home (from a galaxy far, far away...).  In fact, the next pizza I eat could be possessed by invisible space-bugs eager to conquer the world...

But don't worry: if it is happening at present, you can rest assured that Keanu Reeves is handling the situation (can we assume that as well?).

And besides, I think I'll go for the blue pill instead.
 

AL