Because of his age, Neo suffers from his separation from the Matrix, says Morpheus. "The mind has trouble letting go, and the older we get the more difficult it is to change our way of life. As long as the Matrix exists the human race will never be free." In our insecure state of either desire or fear, we want things to be understandable. We therefore reduce, concretize, or substantiate experiences or feelings into parts of our identity. We do not just become happy or sad, for instance; we must become a happy person or a sad one. This is our chronic tendency to attach our identity to things and ideas that gradually become patterns of addictive behavior that, over time, are very difficult to overcome. Morpheus says, "The body cannot live without the mind. The Matrix is a system and people are so hopelessly dependent on this system that they will fight to protect it, and they are not ready to be unplugged. These are the minds we are trying to save; but these people are still part of that system, and that system is our enemy."

The irony of human experience is in how fiercely the separated ego fights to preserve the illusion of a separate, individual "I," even though this is not only a metaphysical impossibility but the wellspring of all suffering. The ego forgets that it was born from the Self, and this is where it must return.

Trinity says, "The Matrix cannot tell you who you are." The mind, in its identity with the individual or collective ego, cannot by definition comprehend reality. To "free the mind" is to align our primary purpose and identity with the universal principles of Self.