The Red Pill
If you’ve seen the movie The Matrix, you know what I’m referring to. Neo, the main character, chooses the red pill, which removes him from the false and fake world and awakens him in the real world. This is how I feel about culture. Not art galleries, learning a second language, and traveling to distant lands kind of culture; the kind of culture that determines whether you fit in or not.
In a recent post, I wrote about how we as parents, and our parents before us, tend to raise kids inside of this bubble of culture because we know how hard it is to exist outside of it. It’s quite the conundrum because I believe most of us at some point have been offered the proverbial red pill and even if we don’t accept it, we fully understand what it means: That living outside of culture isn’t always easy but it most assuredly will bring you closer to your highest level of joy. Yet, it comes at the cost of not fitting in and, thus, possibly being ostracized. However, it’s safe—parents like safe. We bow down to “safe” when it comes to our kids.
I’ve also come to the realization that some of us that have been offered the red pill but turned it down is now on a mission, conscious or not, to stop those of us that want to take the red pill. Here’s the thing: those who take the red pill are like a beaming spotlight on the disjointed and contorted lives of some who didn’t. They don’t like that. It’s a constant reminder of all that they could’ve had, had they taken the road less traveled.
Notice I said “some”. This isn’t a dig on those of us that choose to live quite merrily inside of culture. Contentment can certainly be found there and if this is your lifetime to kick your feet up and take some time off, do it. But if you find that most of your time is spent feeling restless, bored, and with a general and consistent sense of discontent, coupled with daydreams of walking away from it all to live in an ashram in India, may I suggest that you consider the red pill?
The red pill isn’t easy. It may mean losing some folks in your life that just can’t get on board. It may mean blowing up the safe life you have right now. But it also means living a life so aligned in authenticity that everything, absolutely everything, brings you joy because you now can’t make a decision that doesn’t. You are so attuned to your own genuine contentment, you wonder how you ever lived without it, to begin with.
Lucky you, I have an unlimited supply of red pills. They’re yours but they come at the price of bravery, courage, and radical honesty. That sounds quite affordable to me but if you find it to be a little too expensive, I’ll loan you mine. Interest-free, friend.
