In the movie The Matrix, Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) offers Neo/Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) a red pill and a blue pill. He explains that if he takes the blue pill he will go back to sleep and continue his life in ignorance, but if he takes the red pill he will go further into the “rabbit hole” and learn the real truth about the world as it is. In the movie Neo takes the red pill, and thus begins his adventures in the world of The Matrix.

The truth is that most people would take the blue pill. Most people are terrified of learning the truth about the world in which they live. Knowing the truth would require you to take responsibility for your life, and few are willing to do that. Most would rather live in ignorance, which allows them to believe the lies that have been perpetuated by those who seek to control the world; living under the illusion that they are free.

That illusion allows people to blame everything that goes wrong with their lives on someone else; the government (a favorite), the blacks, the whites, the Asians, the terrorists, the men, the women, management, the unions, etc. As long as you can blame someone else for your troubles you do not have to take responsibility for fixing them. This is far more comfortable for the vast majority of people than facing the true source of the problems, which would require taking direct action to correct them.

This is why the age-old saying is “Ignorance is bliss.”

The reality is that the vast majority of people do not believe they can make a difference in the world (you can’t fight City Hall), and so the idea of taking responsibility for their own lives scares the daylights out of them. Most would rather believe that they are helpless to effect positive change because that means they do not have to do anything except accept the injustice of life.

These people will say, “They are talking away my rights”, which is impossible. However, your rights can be violated. When that happens you have the opportunity to fight back against the violation and protect those rights with which you were endowed by your Creator (how many of you were created by the government?).

Unfortunately, to most people the blue pill provides a desirable way to live. Fortunately, there are always a few – a small minority – who recognize that a life of injustice is worthless unless you are at least working to change it for the better. These people understand that it only takes a small minority to change the world, and historically it has always been a small minority that has done so.

Rosa Parks was only one middle-aged woman. She was poor, uneducated, and black, which during her life meant she was a second-class citizen with few or no rights. However, she refused to give up her seat on a bus – a simple thing – and as a result she changed the world for the better.

During the American Revolution 97% of the population did not support the fight against the British; but 3% of the people believed that rights came from God – not the king – and that that Truth was more important than the acquisition of money, position or power, attracted like-minded people to their cause and changed the world for the better.

Jesus understood the injustice of his world but refused to participate in it. As a result, He attracted multitudes of people who were inspired by His words. He stood by his convictions in the face of immense forces working against Him, even to the point of allowing Himself to be crucified rather than surrender his Truth to the lies being taught throughout the world. He changed the world for the better.

It has always been the lone rebel, the singular being, the person with character who has changed the world by standing for the Truth – not your truth or my truth but the Truth – who has made the world a better place.

The majority will always take the blue pill. The majority will always choose ignorance over Truth, and blame others rather than take personal responsibility for their own lives. After all, if they did take responsibility for themselves and they were not happy, they would have nobody else to blame. Ignorance is bliss… but not true bliss.

History has shown us time and time again that only a small minority of people with character can and do change the world for the better. This should give all Truth seekers and freedom lovers hope for a better future.

Remember this when all seems lost, or when you start to think that the world cannot be saved.

You cannot help everyone; most do not want to be helped. But it only takes a few devoted people who believe that Truth and Freedom are more important than money, position and power to change the world for the better.

Be a rebel. Stand proud as a member of the minority with character. There lies the hope of mankind.

** Published February 20, 2020 in the Capital City Hues newspaper, in my Art of Now column.