The blue pill and you.
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ~ Philip K. Dick
In the 1999 sci-fi movie “The Matrix,” the main character is offered a choice: a red pill, to help him escape the Matrix, the unseen digital simulation he calls “life,” or a blue pill, which would allow him to stay in that comfortable, illusory world. His mysterious guide, Morpheus, puts it this way:
“You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.”
It has taken me a long time to discover the subtle irony of that movie, and of that particular line, because here’s the thing about the blue pill: If you choose it, the story doesn’t end. Your story continues, which is why you get to believe whatever you want to believe. Because (and here’s the other profound irony), you’re not living in a matrix. Instead, you’re the lead character in your own hypnotic movie about you. And, like the protagonist in “The Matrix,” you don’t even know it. But you certainly can be made aware, and without taking a pill. That’s the intent of all spiritual wisdom.
In his path breaking book, “Why Buddhism Is True,” the author optimistically writes:
“I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow.”
I wholeheartedly agree. And he got really close in his analysis of how Buddhism contributes to that cultivation. But he never touched the deep source of his own hopeful statement; what I believe Buddha may have meant by “not-self.” It’s not about mindfulness meditation or being in the now, although both states of consciousness certainly help. And it’s not about enlightenment and feeling one with the universe; what some refer to as “nondualism.” That would certainly change everything, but by nearly all accounts, it’s an elusive and temporary cognitive condition.
Rather, it’s about seeing the illusory nature of the world. Specifically, that you have unwittingly been cast as the central character in a dramatic survival story. Survival of your impermanent body, survival of your self-serving desires and beliefs, and survival of your coherent “character,” your constructed identity and social status. Living in these delusional stories is the source of most, if not all, psychological suffering, as well as the suffering we inflict on others.
Living in a story, by its very nature, creates obstacles, conflict, and villains. Living in a story necessarily downplays the other characters, who similarly believe that they are the heroes in their stories. And living in a story creates feelings of separateness and isolation which encourages idealism, group belonging, and destructive tribalism.
If you want to change your life and the world—if you’re looking for an answer to these anxious, confusing, and angry times—it’s simple. Don’t take the blue pill. Rebel against your conformist, comfort-seeking instincts. Step outside your story and negate your defensive identity. It’s the greatest intellectual, creative, and moral leap you can make, and it just might help secure the salvation of our magnificent world.
Stay passionate!