The Matrix is the most dangerous piece of propaganda I've seen out there, and not because I don't believe in the metaphor of the matrix (in fact, I think it's quite literal), but because there's never gonna be two pills to choose from.
Let me explain.
I was working with a client the other day, and she told me she'd watched The Matrix the night before. And she was feeling like, "Give me the red pill." She just wanted the pill that was gonna make her enlightened, and awakened, and good with the world.
If I remember correctly, The Matrix is basically an allegory for the system in which we live today, where most of us are fodder for the machine that keeps, like, five (white) guys hoarding all the power on Earth.
But you get to choose whether you wanna live in that matrix and be sort of numb, the equivalent of doom scrolling and eating crap, or if you wanna be awake and have a really miserable existence, because it's hard.
It's hard to be awake, and it's hard to resist this powerful, omnipresent machine that wants to destroy you and use you for fuel. I don't have a problem with that part of the movie. I think that's a pretty accurate description of the sociopolitical economic system that we've set up for ourselves, in the West at least.
But what I don't think is a useful part of the story is this idea of the pills. Like, oh, I just take a pill, and I'm in the matrix. Oh, I take this other pill, and I'm off the matrix. Yeah, no. There's no such thing.
The reality of our lives is, if I wanna be a part of the Matrix, it's gonna take some decisions and some action. If I wanna not be a part of the Matrix, it's also gonna take some decisions and some actions, and either way, there's gonna be massive consequences, and some of us can afford to have way more choice than others.
I totally resent that that choice is presented as two pills, because in reality, that choice is a process of living that takes our whole life. And so even in the freaking matrix, even in the process of choosing to be awake to everything that oppresses us and to the reality of how life works, we're given a freaking shortcut, an easy way out, “pay in two easy installments” type of situation. We're given the commodified, neoliberal, capitalized way of awakening. It's a pill. Dude, you skipped the whole point of the movie.
The matrix is set up, but how we do the internal work to understand how we work as a society, how humans relate with each other, where we have the power to fight the power, where we have the wherewithal to stand up to oppression, all of that is kind of the meaning of life. It's not a f*cking pill.
And the reason I'm all worked up about this is because
…when we think about the internal work that we need to do,
…when we think about the organizing that we need to do,
…when we think about the power building that we need to do,
...when we think about the resistance that we have to build
so that we can have a world that doesn't have freaking natural disasters every week,
so that we're not all part of a matrix,
so that maybe we could have some sort of democracy (where, for example, one person casts one vote, every vote gets counted, and it's very easy to tell where the majority is, instead of this freaking electoral college, unrepresentative, sketchy, gerrymandering, redistricting mess), it takes work, it takes effort, and it takes humongous courage.
And I don't care how many fantastic epic movies like The Matrix we produce, that will never, ever be an easy choice.
Which is why there is so much poetry, so much art, so much music, so much dance, so much song about it. Because it's so hard to articulate this ethereal connection that we have to that which transcends us, to that which actually makes us feel worthwhile, to the things that we would be willing to die for. Or at least to the things that we know we must do to be able to sleep at night, because that's all we can do, you know?
When you think about our current situation and the matrix (I'll use that as a shortcut), when you think about the political situation, the economic situation, the social situation, all the freaking polarization, the hatred, all the madness that we're living through, what is your role in that? Do you have an answer for that question?
And this doesn't have to mean "I'm gonna run for office," "I'm gonna start a nonprofit," "I'm gonna save the children." We're not talking about that. We're talking about actually, in reality, in your life, while you try to make it and not die in this matrix, what is your tiny but critical part to make sure that we keep at it?
If you have an answer, amazing. I'm sure you can sleep at night. It doesn't have to be something spectacular or world-changing, but it has to be something. And if you don't have an answer, think about it. What are you doing if you're not trying to be part of the collective awakening of humanity?
This is not even an altruistic, “let's all support one another 'cause solidarity is the right thing to do”. I believe that, but forget that. Even if you're in full self-centered mode, this is the recipe for your own fulfillment, for your own emotional satisfaction, and for your own spiritual connection.Spirituality is not connected to everyday life, it is everyday life. How we live is how our spirits are expressing themselves in the world.
And so if you have any sort of spiritual thirst or hunger or any sort of spiritual aspiration, the best thing that you can do is to ask yourself every day, "How can I help? What is my part? What can I do that maybe nobody else can do?" Or even, "What is one tiny little thing that can happen today that may contribute to making things less crappy?"
That's it, y'all. You don't have to be doing massive transformational things every day, but you can't get away with going back to sleep if you wanna be happy, if you wanna have a fulfilling life.
If you've got an answer, or you're still working on one, hit reply and tell me what your part is.
Courage, truth, and infinite love,
On Monday, November 2, I’m holding a Día de los Muertos ritual on Zoom from 6 to 7pm PT, where we’ll honor the beloved dead and listen for what our descendants need from us. It’s $10, no experience with magic is needed, and you can register here.
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Magic is not a belief system, it’s a practice that works.
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