We can argue all day that The Matrix is just a movie. However, how is it that the message from it still feels relevant? I watched the film as a teenager, around 14 years old. Twenty-five years later, the society we live in is driven by money-hungry businesses and increasingly aggressive marketing that exploits human behavior, producing more and more goods that most people don’t need. And we all accept it. More than that, we all contribute to it.
Our society and how money rules becomes a prison to us
Our society is a prison. We can smell the odor of corrupted money, taste the food or beverages designed solely to make us addicted for profit, or feel the land growing drier due to our treatment of the planet as a giant garbage dump.
The sad part is that we’re all trapped in this system from birth, and nothing will change if we continue to accept things as they are. For many individuals, the mere thought of this perspective seems impossible. Others are aware but close their eyes because it’s easier that way. Some exploit human weaknesses to create businesses that generate wealth for themselves while spreading misery, whether through physical pollution from industries or mental pollution from addictive leisure and social media.
The irony is that it could all be so simple. If we view society as a whole, we find ourselves in a vicious loop where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. No one wants to become poorer, so in the middle, we dream of becoming those entrepreneurs who make millions, regardless of the impact, without considering who gets hurt in the process.
How can we break the vicious circle?
This loop can be broken when money is no longer needed for our basic physiological needs. Many people would be satisfied with just the essentials: healthy food, clean water, and decent shelter. In our society, these require money—the same money that buys fancy clothes, sports cars, or yachts. If we separate money for “fun” from our basic needs, things could begin to change.
For change to happen, we need to shift mentalities at the individual level. This is where it gets interesting, as we can be part of it. Our society is based on individuals, and we are part of this loop from birth. We can choose to contribute to the status quo—and seeing how our planet suffers, we know that continuing down this path isn’t the answer—or we can try to shift it.
Becoming aware of our society requires learning more about it, which is linked to our most valuable asset as human beings: our brains. By working on our brains, we can better understand our surroundings. This can be achieved through fitness, developing social relationships, learning new things, and embracing challenges.
We can reshape our future
When enough individuals become aware of society as a whole and act selflessly, real change will occur. Fortunately, we live in a rapidly changing world, and this transformation can happen faster than we think.
You have the ball in your hands; it’s up to you to decide whether to keep it to yourself or pass it to help the world.
#tales-posts
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