Red Pill or Blue Pill?

In the context of the movie "The Matrix," choosing a "red pill" means accepting a potentially unsettling truth and waking up to reality, while choosing a "blue pill" means staying in blissful ignorance of the truth, essentially choosing to remain in a comfortable illusion; the phrase is now used metaphorically to represent a choice between confronting uncomfortable reality or maintaining a comfortable lie. 

Origin: This phrase comes from a scene in the movie "The Matrix" where the character Morpheus offers Neo the choice between a red pill and a blue pill. 

Red Pill: Represents the choice to see the truth, no matter how harsh or disturbing it might be. 

Blue Pill: Represents the choice to remain in a comfortable state of ignorance. 

I write this Sunday Blog on 2/2/2025 while the USA placed 25% Tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 10% Tariffs on China. This is not a political blog - but it is a 'Red Pill'. Prices are going to go UP for all of us. Not down as promised, but UP. Fact. Did you vote for a price increase on your gas and groceries? Yes? OK, cool, you got what you voted for. 

Humans respond to fear - much more dramatically to fear and negatives, than to safety, security and bliss. 

In the film The Matrix, the main character Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill by rebel leader Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne). Morpheus says "You take the blue pill... the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill... you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." It is implied that the blue pill is a sedative that would cause Neo to think that all his most recent experiences were a hallucination, so that he can go back to living in the Matrix's simulated reality. The red pill, on the other hand, serves as a "location device" to locate the subject's body in the real world and to prepare them to be "unplugged" from the Matrix.

For years, higher education was a Red Pill / Blue Pill decision. Here in the USA, K-12 public education is FREE. It was made available to all citizens for 100 years. You COULD send a child to private school, pay money, to provide your child with a superior education. When I went to High School in Boca Raton Florida, my best friend Paul when to Boca Raton Academy. My public education was free, Paul's HS education cost his parents thousands of dollars per year. Paul had less than one hundred in his HS graduating class, I had well over a thousand. 

For years, the decision to 'go to college' was a Red Pill / Blue Pill decision. Quality of life was connected to the quality of education. Getting an MBA was (is?) considered an investment that will pay back an ROI in lifelong career earning potential. Going to RUTGERS is going to cost less than going to DUKE, all things considered. And not going to college at all, is going to impact overall lifelong earning potential.

Or will it?

Grocery shopping at KINGS in Boonton is going to be around 25% more expensive than shopping at ACME in Boonton. Both KINGS and ACME are owned by Albertsons - and they also own Balducci's, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco. I notice that 'the same thing' at ACME is usually less expensive than at KINGS. By around 25%. So, why (how) can KINGS and ACME co-exist in BOONTON USA, less than a mile from each other? And why do I go to KINGS and why does my wife go to ACME? 

But if saving money on household goods is the mission, then it's COSTCO or Aldi. Or, so I hear... I don't shop at either, but maybe I should start. 

Where are you going with this, Tom? 

When you have the ability to choose: Go To College vs. No College. KINGS vs. ACME vs. COSTCO. Live in NYC vs. New York State vs. New Jersey (and commute). Republican vs. Democrat (or vote vs. stay home / no vote) you are taking the Red Pills. 

The PROBLEM comes when taking 'The Red Pill' and expecting to see (and act on) the truth, make decisions based on the facts, and you get 'Blue Pill' results. You did not get what you bargained for, right? How do you feel when you choose TRUTH and you get anything but the truth? 

If I CHOOSE to shop at KINGS and pay 25% more, that is on me. It was a choice. As you drive West from NYC, the cost of living, the cost of housing goes DOWN. How far West are you willing to live, and still commute back and forth to NYC every day? You get to decide, you are in control. 

There is a saying "Reports are only valuable if read by the King." Meaning, you don't need to know the truth if you are not planning on making decisions based on facts. If you are not planning on making life-decisions based on reality, then Blue Pills are just fine. 

AND SO... if you went shopping at ACME in BOONTON USA and the prices were suddenly 25% higher than found at KINGS just a mile away... how would you feel? If there was a sign on the door that said: "Effective immediately all prices in the store have been raised by 25%" what would you do? You still have control - you can get back in your car and drive to KINGS. Or, just go inside ACME since you are already there (one last time). Control. 

Red Pill or Blue Pill? In all things.....