Slowing Down: A Matrix-Inspired Parable for the New Year
As I was creating my annual projections this year – this little story got channeled into my head. I had just finished watching all four parts of the Matrix movies, and I guess the philosophy started to seep in. It definitely helped to take the pressure off for me.
I hope that it does the same for you.
A New Year’s Parable
What if every day was like a game – and you were playing the game in the Matrix? In the Matrix, there are “fake” rules.
Rules like…
“You have to run really hard every day, and if you don’t, you’ll fall behind and/or lose everything.”
“You have to win. Because if you don’t – someone else will take what’s yours.”
“You have to prove your worthiness through your accomplishments – like how much money you make, how many clients you have, how many adventures you go on, and how much stuff you have.”
But the thing is – these aren’t the real rules of the game.
These are rules that were made up by the first players of the game who didn’t really know much about the world. These rules were passed on from generation to generation. And the rules never really changed.
There are spectators who are watching you run, run, run in this matrix. They are your ancestors, guides, angels, gods and goddesses, and other creatures, too.
And they do their best to shout new rules at you. They try their darndest to get your attention. They tell you things like…
“The joy is in the moment. It’s not about getting to the finish line, because there will only be another finish line, once you get there.”
“The results are there to teach you powerful lessons – and you don’t have to worry about what they actually are, just how you respond to them.”
“You have PLENTY of time. It’s all about how you use it.”
“Just because it’s not happening now doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen.”
They stand on the sidelines and they shout these new rules to you over and over again. But because they are so far away outside the Matrix – you can barely hear them. In fact, they only come through in times of quiet – like when you are walking, taking a shower, or getting ready for bed.
But they keep trying anyway.
Because they care about you.
And it breaks their hearts that you are playing the game using such old and outdated rules.
Every now and then you hear them loud and clear. A peace comes over you. You notice that – even though the world is in chaos and you aren’t getting everything you want – everything is still OK. It feels like a whisper, a knocking, a knowing that there is more.
And that you don’t have to run so far, so fast, and say such horrible things to yourself along the way.
But then the whispers get silent – especially when your head gets noisy and the fear creeps in.
And your team on the sidelines – they watch you in the Matrix, running for dear life, and missing the joy.
So they try in other ways to send you messages – through your cat asking for a cuddle. Your daughter coming home from a night with her friends early enough to catch a snuggle and a movie with you. An amazing meal that you can still taste the next morning. A beautiful sunset with colors that spread across the sky like a painting from God.
Sometimes their messages aren’t so pretty – a broken bone, a harsh argument, a night alone. But their lessons are always the same…
Slow down.
Enjoy everything about this moment.
Whatever you are doing is more than OK.
You are beautiful, strong, talented, and loved.
You’ve got plenty of time.
What if they wanted us to take these “new” rules and pass them on? To rebuild our world in a way that honors ourselves and the time we have here on the planet?
Maybe the most important job we have is to just listen, and then take that listening forward as we build our businesses, our lives, and ourselves.
Pass it on. Sending love to you as you kick the year off with less stress, more love, and way more joy.
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