So, you've discovered The Red Pill. You've absorbed its message. You now have a solid understanding of how men and women interact. You may not like it, but you accept it. You accept that you've been lied to all your life and that everything you thought you knew was dead wrong.

Kinda makes you wonder what else you're being lied to about, doesn't it?

The Red Pill, as we know it, is just one of a number of red pills you can take. The true nature of women and how they interact with men is only one of the things you've been lied to about your whole life.

A big part of TRP is self improvement. And a big part of self improvement is knowledge. The more you know about the world around you, the better you can navigate it.

Most people go through life oblivious to most truths, men and women. Like TRP, they are almost always bitter and hard to swallow. Nobody likes having their word view shattered.

But if you're courageous enough to seek the truth and strong enough to accept it, you'll see the world through a clearer lens, giving you a distinct advantage over most other people.

I'm going to list a couple of the other red pills I've swallowed to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. I'd love to hear about truths other than TRP that you've learned about.

The Big Bearded Chad In The Sky

I was raised Catholic, like many of my friends in Boston. My mother was very religious and insisted we go to church every Sunday. My dad didn't seem to be nearly as into it as my mom, but being the BP guy that he was, went along with everything she said.

I hated church. It sucked. That was time I could've been home whacking off or playing Super Nintendo. But it wasn't just church. I also had to go to CCD every week. CCD was like Sunday School for Catholics. Like church, CCD sucked.

I had Catholicism and Christianity shoved down my throat hard as a kid. But, by the time I was in my mid teens, I was questioning things. The more I explored Christianity, the less it made sense.

By the time I was 20, I'd read the bible several times, learned about the history of Christianity, and knew much more about Christianity than 99% of the Christians in this country. At that point, I knew it was bullshit. All of it. But I needed to believe in something more, so I looked elsewhere.

All throughout my 20's, I studied and practiced a variety of faiths. Buddhism and Taoism were my favorites but, like all the other religions, they didn't really make sense and didn't have any real evidence to support them. I studied Islam, Confucianism, Mormonism, Scientology, Voodoo, Hoodoo, Jainism, Santeria, Wicca, and about 10 other traditions. After exploring each of them, one by one, I accepted that they were total bullshit, completely made up.

I wanted to believe. I did. I really did. I wanted to believe in some sort of higher power, some sort of intelligence looking down and making sure everybody played by the rules. A being that would welcome me into an everlasting paradise after I was dead. I wanted to believe so badly.

But I had to accept reality. There isn't a single shred of evidence for any religion. The only evidence is people saying, “Yeah, it true, bro.” Other than that, nothing. So, I started studying atheism, reading books like The God Delusion. That was the first religious text that made any sense to me.

It took me until my mid-to-late 20's to swallow the red pill about religion. Most people who were raised to be religious as kids never learn and/or accept that it's all made up. I consider myself somewhat lucky to have been strong enough to accept it. It wasn't easy and it took a long time, but I couldn't lie to myself any longer.

Drugs Are Bad, M'Kay?

The War On Drugs (WOD) has destroyed more lives than the holocaust and the crusades. But it's well-intentioned, isn't it? Isn't it all about trying to help people? Doesn't the WOD save lives?

No, no, and no. The WOD is one of the world's issues I'm most passionate about. It's one of the greatest atrocities of all time. The DEA doesn't need to exist. Neither do half of our government agencies, but that's a whole different red pill.

Prohibition doesn't work. This is a fact. It didn't work for alcohol and is hasn't been working for drugs. The CIA and DEA use the WOD to play games with other countries with very destructive consequences. Politicians use the WOD to further their careers. The DOJ and for-profit prison system (another red pill right there) use the WOD to keep the prisons packed with non-violent (predominantly black) drug offenders. Oh and criminals, from the street dealer all the way up to drug kingpins, use the WOD to make shit loads of money.

And the best part? All of these different organizations help each other keep the bullshit WOD alive and thriving. What's that you say? The WOD isn't working? Well, we better throw more money at it then! Harsher penalties! More law enforcement! Raise those taxes (another red pill – that's the last one I'll point out but they're literally fucking everywhere)!

Sound like some conspiracy nonsense? I wish it was, but it's not. I've researched the shit out of the WOD and it hurts the very people it claims to help, while using billions of dollars of taxpayer money to fund needless agencies. Don't believe me? Do the research yourself. But don't just look for information that supports your current opinion. Always look for evidence to the contrary.

Conclusion

These are just two examples, but there have been dozens of red pills that I've swallowed, most of them since I've been in my 30's or late 20's at the earliest. And I know that these examples, especially religion, may be controversial. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to insult anyone, shit on their religion, or judge anyone else. I'm just explaining my experience and the obvious truth that was staring me in the face my entire life but didn't have the courage to accept.

We're being lied to all the time. All the fucking time. Cynicism is often considered a negative trait, but I think it's one of the most useful qualities you can develop – one of two, actually. Skepticism and cynicism.

Being skeptical mean to question whether or not something is true. Always question things. “Is this too good to be true?” “Is this consist with my observations?” “Is there evidence to support it?”

And cynicism means to question someone's motives. Always question people's motives. Are they trying to sell you something? If yes, be extremely skeptical. “Why is she doing this?” “What do you stand to gain by asking me for this?” “What do you really want?”

The more you understand about the world around you, the better. The more information you have, the better you're able to make decisions. It may not always be pretty, but at least it's fucking real.

Take care and be well!