The Red Pill

We all know the scene in The Matrix when Keanu Reeves stops the bullet.  It’s straight up magical, right?  He puts his hand up, the bullets stop where they are at his command, and he takes the one closest to his face into his fingers and examines it. In that moment, the rest of the bullets fall to the ground.  And that’s that.  He had the power all along….he just had to realize it. 

We have to learn to see bullets for what they are and realize that we have the power to look at everything differently, like Keanu did.  And while robots aren’t harvesting us (I mean, I hope they aren't) we are fed some pretty thick negativity over the years that have unhealthy impacts on our minds and bodies and souls. 

First of all, I believe in God and because I do, I will state for the record that I believe that my strength and gifts and blessings only exist because of God.  That being said, I have learned that the only way I can hear God is when I am quiet and still.  I can only feel my heart and hear my mind when I tell all of the chatter and nagging to leave me alone.  I cannot hear anything that God or my soul is telling me when there is too much noise around me.  So having said that and making clear that I am not responsible for this peace, but God is, I can move on….

The picture above is a quote that hangs on the wall of my yoga studio. It says “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”  Why does it surrender when your mind is still and what does that mean? When your mind is still, you hear and see everything and you realize that all of the negativity that you have experienced and have been fed is only an illusion and that you are capable of and deserve so much more.  Why would the universe trust someone running around like a crazy person, messing things up and banging away at the world, not knowing how to sit still and listen?  Would you waste your energy trying to talk to a person like that?  No, you wouldn’t.  When someone runs around nervous and yelling and stressed, you know that’s not the right time to approach the person with anything logical.  You should always wait until they are breathing and still and open.

The reason I brought up The Matrix is because I used it as an example in a conversation I was having with someone about how I feel right now in my life.  I have learned, for the most part, to quiet my mind to the point that the bullets are no longer real to me, they are no longer a threat, and they no longer have power over me.  When you take away power from all things negative, you are finally at peace and it’s your choice.  The bullets flying at us are all of those distractions and negative thoughts and negative comments and roadblocks and fears and people who tell you that you can’t do something and cause discomfort to your mind and your heart.  If you can put your hand up, grab the first one, and drop it, all the rest fall to the ground.  Every bullet becomes empty and meaningless.  

It’s been about 16 years since The Matrix was released.  I remember thinking what everyone else was thinking when it came out—that it was a badass movie, but in a way, the whole idea of it scared me. The fact that certain information can be both given to us and withheld and that we might not know the difference was terrifying to me. I thought “Why would you not want to take the red pill if you can control your own mind and know the truth? “ I would much rather take the red pill and know the truth and eat slop than live in a fantasy and take the blue one.

Here is what taking the red pill looks like in my analogy:  

There’s the world throwing stuff at us, and then there is the trouble we make for ourselves.  Things happen to us over time: we get hurt, our hearts break, we become distrusting, we become angry, we become ashamed and feel lonely and confused, and then we start to make rules for ourselves to protect us from repetitive pain, which only builds walls around us, furthering the process of imprisoning our minds. You have to shake all of that off to become who you’re supposed to be and see the truth. 

I have learned that if you don’t want to hear something negative, you don’t have to listen.  If you don’t want to engage with someone negative, you don’t have to engage with them.  You teach people how to treat you and while there is absolutely no way that you can control anyone else’s behavior, you do have control of your own behavior and your own mind.  I have learned to shut off the noise when I can’t hear my own internal compass.  You can't let everything in and you have to be choosy about the sounds and people you let into your little world.  

Everything extra is just noise, just a bullet, so become still so the universe opens up and you can be who you really are.