Do you think that’s air you’re breathing now?
If you have seen the Matrix, then you may or may not recognize this statement made by Morpheus to Neo during the scene when he was teaching him in the virtual dojo on board the ship The Nebuchadnezzer.
The full quote is “Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place? You think that’s air you’re breathing now?
Since I have recently uploaded the two part article on Master the Mind - Self Hypnosis for Martial Artists, I would encourage you to read the article (if you haven’t done so already or even if you have 
) with the above quote firmly in mind.
Generally the biggest obstacle to achieving success in life are the frames of thoughts and presuppositions we cling on to. Having fixed ideas about “how things work” and the “way things are” can often manifest less than ideal outcomes. Sometimes, a simple shift in perspective is often enough for us to grease the wheels of progress and move out of a stuck state into new and uncharted territory.
Personally, I love the way the Matrix used the Dojo sparring session scene as a metaphor for encouraging us to consider changing the way we go about interacting with the environment we find ourselves immersed in. Morpheus’ (the latin name for the God of Dreams) practical education of Neo a Neophyte to the “rules” of the Matrix is highly apt. Morpheus’ gentle and not so gentle method of getting Neo to question his own presuppositions about how “things” work by giving him plenty of sensory based feedback is a practical and pragmatic technique for transformation. Neo’s SELF discovery of a new (Neo is also latin for New) way of being, required him to go inwards away from the “logical and analytical” left brain and into the realms of his right brain to find the answer.
In this highly material left brain dominant society it is something to ponder, hey?
Your mind and your body are indivisable parts of the same system.
A very good read! Haven’t seen anything like your site among the other bloggers! LOL (guess I won’t), since I haven’t visited the 1.0 billion out there!
Again, glad you are making a presence!
Glad you liked it! There is plenty more to come. Time seems to be the limiting factor.
I think you are really going to enjoy what I plan on disseminating through this blog.
I will also be interested in hearing how the application of the information works for you.
Now if only I could get my blog to be as aesthetically pleasing as yours!
You are absolutely right in saying that our own beliefs in general can be the biggest obstacle. This is true in any field, from learning martial arts to languages, in business and your private life. The interesting question is though whether we can only change these by going inward, as you suggest, to the right side of the brain, or whether we can also just act counter to our own beliefs and be pleasantly surprised by our outcome, or maybe both.
And, when did the change in Neo start happening? When he noticed him beating Morpheus in the fight (behavior) or later?
Hi Phantomias,
Thanks for dropping by and contributing.
Going inwards does not necessarily have to be a right brain process, though it seems to be the hemisphere closely linked to creativity and non-linear thinking from my understanding. I personally advocate the concept of whole brain thinking and do not believe that any hemisphere operates in isolation to another. There may be times during which a hemisphere is more dominant but not to the point that the other hemisphere ceases to function.
What is preventing us from operating counter to our beliefs? Could it be that we have a belief about operating counter to our beliefs, which prevents us from doing so?
In regards to the point when Neo changed; well that requires some thinking outside of the framework of the movie and along a timeline that probably extends to a point prior to when we first meet Neo in his little room in front of his computer.
If you have seen the movie you may remember it was Neo who was trying to find Morpheus prior to his meeting with Trinity. Neo had probably begun his inner transformation even prior to taking the name Neo. Remember he was “born” in the Matrix as Thomas A Anderson, but he evolved into Neo as he graduated to a life outside of the Matrix after taking the Red Pill.
I find with my hypnotherapy clients, that changes occur at the subconscious level (beyond their conscious awareness) first. Then sometime later (it could be weeks or even months), they begin to consciously see the changes in their lives. Linking back to Neo in the Matrix, it would seem that he sensed something was wrong with the “world”, before he could consciously articulate or understand what that “wrongness” was. This sense probably was there prior to him creating his “online” persona of Neo. Subsequently, after his meeting with Morpheus, it would seem that he was “popped” like popcorn. That is to say that once he had had an experience of the world outside of the illusion of the Matrix, he could never go back to his prior world view. This experience would be akin to plucking a fish out of it’s fish bowl and showing it what water is. Neo could never have had this experience if he had remained immersed in the Matrix and had had it described to him by Morpheus. Once he had been “popped” it was now a matter of shedding the unconsciously imprinted rules and beliefs he had formulated and bound his mind to within the Matrix as Thomas A Anderson and thus recreate himself with new rules and beliefs after understanding how the entire system operated and worked. A type of rebirth of sorts inside and outside of the Matrix.
This is just my take on it and I may believe it for now, but I will provide myself with the opportunity to counter that belief at a later date if it is useful.
if you have to succeed then have faith on god , and have trust on the almighty .
Yes, I agree with the idea of self-imposed blocks to success and the expression “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are probably right” sums it up for me.