The Matrix is very real and quite subtle at the same time. What is the Matrix ? It is an artificial reality that is maintained by (1) the subtle conditioning of people’s minds and (2) the promotion of ego supremacy.
One thing to understand is you cannot have this synthetic, ego-based reality and the majority of people as ‘free spirits’ coexisting, the two are simply incompatible. In order to sustain the Matrix, various beliefs are instilled in the minds of ‘the masses’ and their internalization turns free-spirited beings (children) into entities that are useful in the Matrix (good citizens).

What are those beliefs ?

1) I was born a sinner. An idea promoted by religion. The purpose behind it: get people to feel bad about themselves, that they’re inherently flawed. Look at all the suffering in this world, this is your proof people are inherently bad. Here's the thing: people who feel inadequate or worthless are easier to control / manipulate than people who are comfortable in their shoes.

2) Happiness must be earned. Happiness is actually your inherent state. Just observe children, the large majority of them are quite full of life (as long as they’re taken care of and not victims of abuse). Being happy is your natural state and you’re brainwashed out of it. Religion exploits the idea of earned happiness: this happy state that you crave is meant to be experienced in the afterlife, in some place we call Heaven. You wanna go there after a life of ups and downs, don’t you? Just embrace our ideology.

3) I must prove my worth to society. This one is promoted by society and your ego. We know you aren’t happy but you can feel a lot better by becoming better than others. In other words, a somebody among nobodies ! Go out there and prove your worth to this world and then you’re allowed to feel good about yourself. You have to qualify for that feeling. By the way, a simple life is a sign of mediocrity if not failure. I can’t stand simplicity, says your ego. Who wants to be average when you can be exceptional ? Look at this millionaire or that celebrity, they’re better than you. I know you hatin' !

4) I own thefore I am. Here’s the idea that things outside of you are a reflection of your value. And now many of you are chasing money in order to afford expensive items. To acquire things of a high (monetary) value will say something about yours. If you can marry someone with status then being attached to this person will make you a somebody. Haters gonnna hate ! The downside is that you hate losing what you believed was yours: it makes you feel like your own value has decreased. Not a pleasant feeling, right ?

What sustains the Matrix ?

1) Individualism, a result from the belief you’re separate from other people and the rest of creation. Your ego that gets off feeling special, grandiose, bigger than others can’t stand the idea of you being small, just a part of a greater whole (the Universe). So it’s always there to remind you you’re all alone, it’s you against others/the world and your purpose is to stand out, become somebody in the eyes of society. The only problem here is your ego can never be satisfied, it always wants/needs more. I need more money ! I want more trinkets ! I want more followers ! I need more praise ! I want more power ! It’s never enough.

2) TV programming. TV is filled with programs for your mind. You’re watching the news. Bad things are happening here, over there.. bad things are happening all over the world. It’s a scary world to live in. But don’t worry, politicians will pass laws to protect you, they’ll send the military over there to neutralize those savages. Create fear and then reassure. Rinse and repeat.
Oh, a documentary about wild animals. You wish you had the same level of freedom as this cheetah, this eagle, that tiger etc. An impala gets caught by a leopard and now you’re thinking: “So lucky to live in the civilized world where my life isn’t constantly in danger. Imagine having to live around all those predators. People who live in proximity to nature are unlucky compared to me.” Hmm, you sure about that ? Do those “poor savages” have a stress-filled life like you do ? Do they feel empty inside like many civilized people do ? Do they have to be employed 5-6 days out of 7 in order to survive ? At least you have designer clothes, iPads, social media and white Jesus !

3) Your mental alienation from nature. Can humans live without trees, water and animals ? Yet many are rather indifferent to environmental destruction in the name of profit. Capitalism is just an outcome of human evolution, some economists probably said. That or capitalism is the outcome of people being turned into narcissists (individualism + excessive competitiveness => narcissim) and their need to always have or be more than others isn’t kept in check. Greed is good !

4) Lack of spirituality. Having/owning takes precedence over being. Learning to be more patient, aspiring to be more honest, generous, reliable is not important. Gotta make a lot of money, baby. Spiritual growth is for the birds ! […]
Why do I feel so empty ?? How can I fill this void that I feel ? Why do people look so lifeless ? Why are people so selfish/untrustworthy ? Why don’t people stand for anything ? What’s wrong with this world ??

5) Scarcity consciousness: you heard of nations invading other nations to be in control of their natural resources, family feuds over inheritance money, people breaking contracts to get themselves ahead etc. It all stems from a scarcity mindset: the belief that good things are hard to come by. There isn't enough food/money/wealth for everybody and you must fight tooth and nail to get your share of the pie. Survival of the fittest is the law. Rich people with a scarcity mindset don't believe they have enough and that it's wise to be generous towards those who are less fortunate. "Things could go wrong at any time. I'd be a fool not to accumulate a little bit more.. just in case."
The scarcity mindset also exists in the realm of friend/relationships: most people tend to wonder if they're not being taken advantage of, if they aren't giving too much. But how many do you know that ask themselves if they're giving enough ? Scarcity consciousness is prevalent in our 'civilized' world.

Who benefits from the Matrix ?

People of European descent for the most part. They're very aware that Africans are intelligent and creative people. They know that if they were left alone, African people could create a Heaven on Earth for themselves (this is not wishful thinking). Europeans desire to take advantage of melanated people's talent without the latter realizing how blessed they truly are.
To achieve this goal, they instill feelings of inferiority/self-hate in the minds of Africans (imagine trying to exploit people who are aware of their greatness). This is why they teach the lie Africans were living primitevely prior to colonization. This is why they gave (and still give) black people a white savior archetype (religion and movies). This is why they go out of their way to keep melanated people mentally and emotionally defeated (negative depictions of Africa(ns) and other black people in the media, documentaries, movies etc).

As long as black people buy into the myth of caucasian superiority, they will have a thirst for European approval/recognition. They will desire to prove they can be as good as Europeans. Many Africans are conditioned to equate the western world with progress/paradise. Here's the thing: how can they be superior when Africans had to civilize them twice ? (ancient Greeks by ancient Egyptians; medieval Europe by the Moors of Spain)

Our liberation begins in our minds. We need to let go of concepts such as individualism, materialism, male supremacy, salvation by God or outsiders etc. We shouldn't aim to qualify in this eurocentric, anti-nature and anti-life reality. The original people have nothing to prove to newcomers. Many of our 'leaders' have betrayed us because they are Afropeans, Africans with European values. They were selected, not elected for a reason. An afrocentric education is the antidote for Africans in this eurocentric world. As the late Malcolm X said, only a fool would let his enemy teach his children.
The coffee and sugar industry in Haiti made France an economic superpower. America was built on free black labor and is sustained by black talent and prison labor. Europe cannot thrive without African resources and neocolonial taxation. This matrix cannot be sustained without our participation in it.

It makes zero sense to emulate or seek equality with those who can only thrive by manipulating and exploiting us. Our future generations deserve much better than to live under alien domination and tyranny.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3043284/3-ways-humans-create-poverty
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/30/wealth-banks-google-facebook-society-economy-parasites

An economic system based on deception
http://newdemocracyworld.org/culture/human_nature.html