At the Beginning of The Matrix, Thomas Anderson (our hero!) gets a message inviting him into a deeper view of reality. It’s a potent metaphor that kicks off a wild adventure; one many of us have explored to great extent. Regardless of whether this message to WAKE UP arrives in our souls via a computer screen, we often find ourselves with an abiding realization that the two-dimensional representation of the world is not an adequate reflection of a many-dimensional reality.
In my own practice, and in the lives of my friends, community, and clients, we are finding a more holistic understanding of human events. We find consistent access to spirit through mind training, embodiment practices, devout study, and connection to the wonder and awe presented by the natural world in the wilderness. In these practices, the patterns that reveal themselves to us are more trustworthy than the narrative on the commercial news.
Today, we are faced with myriad complexities that are not adequately explained by our simple cultural systems. The wedge driven by the social-media-fueled “us vs. them” mindset belies the nuance and complexity of the world we inhabit. Some of my closest friends have chosen not to take the covid vaccine, while many more have taken it, but to suggest that this neatly cleaves my friends into two groups is asinine, at best. And that’s just one example.
As Neo travels down the rabbit hole, and continues to explore the unedited reality beyond his previous understanding, he’s confronted with a choice. And this is where I think the movie makes its biggest, and in some ways, an unforgivable error.
The whole thing is summed up close to the beginning, when Morpheus offers Neo the choice (paraphrased) “take the red pill and see how far the rabbit hole goes, or take the blue pill and return to the blissful ignorance embedded in modern culture.” Most of us naturally responded in the moment with “Red pill, and make it a double.” But the truth is a bit more complicated than that.
The suggestion that one can fully embrace a deeper level of knowing, and somehow escape the flatland of modernity is trite, at best. The film refuses to heed Einstein’s warning, and applies the same kind of thinking that’s gotten us into this mess in the first place. This false dichotomy of “good vs. evil” and “right and wrong” is just too simplistic for the culture we live in. So, in my own morality play, I grab both pills, and wash them down with some mezcal.
And this is where my perspective on Whole Wealth Management finds its roots. I’m walking a Middle Way through the complexities of the modern world. With my colleagues at Conscious Capital, we are always working to find meaningful investments that positively shift our relationship to the natural world, without bombing the banks that finance oil pipelines. We’re partnered with tough-minded investment professionals who help us collectively bend the arc of investments toward justice, while still advising our clients to plan for a future that’s denominated in dollars. I’m working with self-selecting clients on a digital asset strategy that partially hedges against the risk of long-term systems collapse, while also acknowledging that it’s highly unlikely that Google and other blue chip corporations disappear any time soon.
While it’s true that the current world of finance is sclerotic (if not collapsing) in many ways, the benefits and wisdom inherent in the SEC, modern portfolio theory, and Fed policy should not be overlooked. Simultaneously, the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies, the uncertainty of investing in first time asset managers targeting regenerative agriculture, and the unwillingness of large institutions to add innovative products to their platforms cannot fully dissuade us from considering these options for our clients.
As the movie sequels play out, Neo confronts this paradox as Trinity dies in the “real world,” regardless of their connection to a deeper truth. So, too, must we accept the economic reality we live within today, while we design and invest in the tools and strategies that are shaping an alternative future where life on planet earth is sacred beyond compare.
Even though the crew on the Nebuchadnezzar believes Neo is a magical savior with superhero capacities, we learn a critical lesson as Neo begins his training: Everyone falls the first time. There is no magic bullet, and it’s not a linear path.
I hope you’ll join us on this journey.