There is much insight to be gained in the scene from The Matrix where the “spoon boy” explains to Neo that bending the spoon is impossible until he realizes that in the matrix, there is no spoon, and that if he were to ‘bend’ himself rather than trying to bend the spoon he would achieve his goal.
The key element I wanted to highlight is the importance of self-realization. This process of self realization is necessary on a wide scale if melanated minds are to overcome our current circumstances.
The modern “Matrix” could be perceived as the virtual reality created and inspired by the architects of social media and other powerful social engineers that manipulate human beings on large scale byway of various internet technologies. A majority of the people on planet earth are influenced, manipulated and controlled consciously or unconsciously by the virtual realities created by the internet and social platforms. Turning competent humans beings into batteries that fuel the expansion of the artificially intelligent virtual empires. Just like in the movie.
The “spoon” is apart of the matrix, the virtual reality. Although, the spoon does not technically exist, the mind connected to the matrix makes it real.
Just like your personal problems. For example, if you had a bad experience at McDonalds do you think everyone around the world will unanimously join you in a global protest against McDonalds? Of course not. The problem is only real in YOUR mind, it doesn’t even exist to someone who has never had that experience.
So you going on a campaign to get everyone to cancel McDonalds is the same as Neo trying to bend the spoon. You can’t make anyone do anything and more than likely you will not be able to destroy every McDonalds in your righteous frustrations.
What can you do? Remember the truth, “there is no spoon”. Your beef with McDonalds is not a real tangible thing, it has no mass or value, it only exists in your mind. Just like your personal conflicts at work, with your family, your spouse, your business, your community, etc. If you died this very second your most intense grudges would vanish into thin air. Although the situation seems incredibly real to you, to others it is not.
When you have that self-realization your perception changes from “everyone needs to do something about this” into “what can I do about this”?
Going back to the McDonalds example: you can choose to longer eat there, you could be inspired to start a new burger business with better customer service, you could remember that McDonalds has had a reputation of poor customer service so it would unintelligent to expect a different experience.
The point is, you’re not trying to ‘bend the spoon’ anymore. Forcing McDonalds to do this and that, convincing others to do this and that. Your future inner peace is no longer dependent on what McDonalds or anyone else does or doesn’t do.
You are adjusting your perspective and as that happens, your reality changes. When you’re reality changes new options and opportunities become visible and available.
Rather than waiting on the world to change, be the change you want to see. When you truly realize on so many levels that “there is no spoon” life becomes more of a game rather than a series of unfortunate events.
You can’t always control what happens in life, but you can always control what you do about it and how you think about it. When one door closes, another always opens if you realize, “there is no spoon”.
You can waste your life trying to “bend the spoon”, or you can concentrate your efforts in the mental realm from which all of our physical realities were born. When you change your mind, you change the universe.
This principle can applied to the tragic system of white supremacy that plagues the planet earth and everything on it. When you look at that system as “the spoon” you stop being a victim and realize what you CAN do vs. what you CAN’T do.
This perspective inspires opportunities where we focus on creating for ourselves, rather than what they are planning to do to us next. They have what they have and they do what they do but that does not change the limitless potential of your mind when you choose to be like water, as Bruce lee said, harmoniously adjusting to yourself to the opponent and the environment.
When you understand the foundation of this principle then you will see that the only real enemy is within, not outside of yourself.
There is no spoon…
