In the movie, Matrix 1, when Neo meets Morpheus for the first time, there exchange is highly enlightening:
MORPHEUS: [Takes out two pills, one of which is red, the other of which is blue] 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.
MORPHEUS (cont’d): You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
MORPHEUS: Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more.
American psychologists Sheryl C. Wilson and Theodore X. Barber first identified Fantasy Prone Personality in 1981, said to apply to about 4% of the population.
Fantasy prone people are known to spend half of their time awake daydreaming. They will mix their fantasies with their real memories and often confusing one for the other.
The Matrix segment reminds me of such a fantasy prone situation offering an end to the fantasy.
“You take the Blue pill story end here”; however,
“You take the Red pill and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes”.
Creating your Fantasy World
Human beings have been aspirational forever and that’s perhaps the genesis of all the progress that we have made through generations.
However, being aspirational and living in a fantasy world are 2 different things.
Xunzi, a follower of the Great Confucius said this to a man aspiring to follow the past great kings, but who had not taken any steps towards realizing his aspirations, -“For you to have such ambitions is like lying flat on your face and trying to lick the sky”.
What do you want to be?
Kids are asked these questions and so are grown-ups.
Candidates being interviewed for a job are asked what you aspire to be in 5 years’ time.
Right noises are made by the person being asked the question.
A kid might say-pilot, president etc.,
While an interview candidate might say-CEO/CFO/ or Head of whatever other department they are applying for.
What are they doing about it?
You would often see a blank face.
A response that conveys- “learn, develop my skills, add further education” might seem like the person doesn’t have a specific destination and are hence not acceptable and hence not even received.
Very few respondents are evolved enough to think about the “how to reach” their destination and not just “the destination”.
Comfort Zone
So many people are just happy replicating their 1st year experience because of which 10 years for them is not 10 but Year 1 ten times.
It’s easier to stay in the comfort zone while aspiring for big things.
People often think, this is not rocket science, whenever I want, I will change myself and reach where I want.
Success is what happen overnight in 10 Years
Aspire and then hope for things to happen is not a game plan.
Aspire and then progress to the destination is the only way out.
Overnight success is often just luck.
Real success majority times takes long and sustained efforts and patience.
Working through roadblocks and frustrations are key to reaching the destination.
Hope is the “red pill”-it will keep you in the fantasy world for too long for the fantasy to come true
If you keep at it, the blue pill will not end your story but keep you on path to success.
The meme stocks might be the “red pill”, popular and seen as a key to overnight wealth, but might take you deep in the rabbit hole.
When real wealth has been generated over decades by successful investors-whether it’s a Warren Buffett or a Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.
So Stay the Course and Put in the work
Irreverentinvestor.com 