Matrix is a Metaphor for Clarity and Power | The Four Enemies of a Man of Knowledge: Download
What are the four enemies? What is a man of knowledge?
Hello, and welcome to the Ancient wisdom modern mind podcast download page and in this audio I share my view on Don Juan teachings, and I will be discussing the concept of “The Four Enemies” on the Path of Knowledge.
In The Matrix, the main character Neo is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill by rebel leader Morpheus. The red pill represents an uncertain future that would free him from the enslaving control of the machine generated dream world and allow him to escape into the real world, but living the "truth of reality" is harsher and more difficult. On the other hand, the blue pill represents a beautiful prison it would lead him back to ignorance, living in confined comfort without want or fear within the simulated reality of the Matrix.
The concept of the “A Man of Knowledge” is a person who lives an examined life and progresses through stages of awareness, connection, and ego dissolution. A man of knowledge is one who has followed truthfully the hardships of learning, a man who has, without rushing or without faltering, gone as far as he can in unraveling the secrets of power and knowledge. To become a man of knowledge one must challenge and defeat his four natural enemies.
These natural enemies are known as:
fear
clarity
power
old age
The first natural enemy, fear, affects everyone. It is the factor that keeps people from beginning or finishing a journey or task. Don Juan describes this feeling saying “when a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent is vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize, for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning”.
Clarity! That clarity of mind, which is so hard to obtain, dispels fear, but also blinds. It forces the man never to doubt himself. It gives him the assurance he can do anything he pleases, for he sees clearly into everything. And he is courageous because he is clear, and he stops at nothing because he is clear. Clarity can make you rash and overconfident.
If one can overcome fear and see through the fog of clarity to stay on the path of learning, they will achieve power. Power is the strongest of all enemies. And naturally the easiest thing to do is to give in; after all, the man is truly invincible. He commands; he begins by taking calculated risks, and ends in making rules.
In the end, we must all face old age, the final and cruelest enemy, the one over whom we cannot ultimately triumph. Our one hope for glory, our chance to manifest completeness in the journey of the man of knowledge, is to push on through old age and resist the temptation to rest. It is most important when we are most self actualized to continue to remain passionately engaged with life.
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