In the Wachowski Brothers’ “The Matrix”, Neo is given the now-famous choice between a red or blue pill. The red pill promises him truth: the ability to understand the world not from his perceived reality, but as it really is. Conversely, the blue pill offers him the security of life-as-he-knows-it, his perception of the world, unchanged. Neo, and a very few others, choose the red pill. For them, knowing the truth about the world—whether the consequences are good or bad—is more valuable than any negative effect that knowledge might have on their lives. In their world, the consequences of knowing the truth means living life off of the feeding tube, underground, destitute, and hunted.
This becomes intolerable for the character called Cypher. He cannot bear living and operating in reality, with full knowledge of who he really is, what the world is, and who is in control. It becomes so unbearable that he tries to plug back into the matrix, where his mind could live out a hallucination of sunlight, flavor, and contentment; while in reality his body would become a comatose source of energy for machines.
Silly Cypher. Brave Neo. Comfy chairs and buttery popcorn bring everything into such clear perspective. Of course we all identify with Neo. Of course we would all choose the red pill, fight with the good guys, and bravely persevere in the real world. Of course, if my computer told me to follow the white rabbit, one appeared at my door, a specially delivered cell phone led me through an impossibly timed escape route, agents captured and probed me, latex-clad women removed the probe and brought me to a pill-pushing Laurence Fishburne, I would choose the red pill, fight with the good guys, and bravely persevere in the real world.
But I don’t live in that real world. I live in this one. And in this world of comparatively long 24-hour days, average-looking characters, and wandering storylines, I default to the abundant and available supply of blue pills far more often than making a conscious choice to seek out and take a red. One comfortable and/or busy day slips into the next…no white rabbits, no evil agents…and without consciously choosing it, I’m in a kind of matrix, living out a hallucination of sunlight, flavor, and contentment; while in reality…
“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”
I hope that each of my readers will feel challenged to take a “red pill” today. A red pill which reveals to you truth about the world as it really is, not as you wish it to be. Perhaps your red pill will be a challenging book, time with a challenging person, or time spent researching something that’s always caused you to feel a little unsettled. For the past several months I have been listening to radio programs with political views different from my own, and they have challenged me to consider carefully why I believe the things I do.
Enjoy your red pill today! And please share something about your experience by commenting below.
