To NPC, or Not to NPC, It Shouldn't Even Be a Question

Do individuals have any real power to alter the trajectory of humanity?

I imagine we have all felt somewhat powerless at times. We might even ponder whether the world would be any different without us. Do our actions have significance?

Philosophers have debated the conflicting notions of free will and determinism since ancient times. Some are firmly entrenched in position of radical free will, which sometimes gets tied to nihilism; that is, life is essentially meaningless.

This position is usually bound to an notion which holds the universe as random and chaotic. In this, free will exists because there is no order other than the one we create. It is a construct. This is a common position of post-modern ideology. Some use it to promote an unfettered relativism.

Others believe our fate is determined and we cannot escape it, which can also lead to a nihilistic perspective. If the universe has already laid its plans for us, then our actions are meaningless - regardless of taking a left turn or a right turn, we will end up in the same place.

Between these two polarities, there exists a variety of blends and nuances. You could contemplate these ideas for a lifetime but I think most of us would be better served by refraining from trying figuring out the exact nature of existence and striving to feel (if not have) an impact in our life, on our happiness, and for the world.

NPCs do not have this power. An NPC is an acronym for non-player character used in the gaming world. Unfortunately, it seems that these characters are also inhabiting the non-digital, non-virtual world. For those who subscribe to the notion of reality being a simulation, this might fit in well.

Rene Descartes’ skepticism almost landed him in this camp but by pulling his notions of God into his skeptical process he evaded this ultimate position of a dream-like (un-)reality. Whether this was a sound logical argument and a worthwhile detour to his inquiry is often debated in philosophy 101. In my opinion, he lost his logical rigour when he made this move.

The movie the Matrix, as well as various other films, flirt with versions of this. In the Matrix, most people are unaware of the true reality and exist in a construct the ruling intelligent machines (AI) have trapped them in while manipulating them for their own agenda.

I must admit, this sounds eerily familiar to the current state of the world. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why The Matrix continues to hold such large appeal and is often used in popular culture reference. Most of us have heard the term “being red pilled”. This is a direct reference to The Matrix and implies being woken up from the false digital reality of the ruling class of AI so we can see the true reality and reclaim our power in the world.

This was Neo’s journey. He is the antithesis of a NPC. He is a protagonist. He goes through a Hero’s Journey. It might seem he is special and that this is a path only for him. In the movie, this might be true, but in our organic world, a Neo-esque path is open for most of us, if not all of us.

It seems many people have checked out and are satisfied being distracted by “the circus” (The Matrix) and numb to the hints of a deeper reality knocking on their field of perception. I think this has more to do with the years of cultural programming than the capacity for having a independent mind, free will and the propensity for empowered action.

Sadly, many cannot be aroused. However, it seems more and more people are breaking through the illusion and have the opportunity to not be NPCs. I would hazard a guess that most, if not all, who are reading this have - to some degree - broken through the illusions and traps of cultural programming.

Congratulations and thank you! You are the hope for our world and future! Keep going!

The influence of the news and even our friends and family can make it hard to shed enough of the illusion for us to realize how effectual we actually are. Sometimes our own mind - which still wrestles with doubts, demons, conditioning and more - pulls us back from our power.

I know I continue to struggle with this. Some days, I am immune to these forces and other days I feel like a ping-pong ball being helplessly bounced around an apocalyptic table controlled by governments, corporations, globalists, and other elites.

How can little ol’ me stand up to these Goliath forces?

How can I not?

Is their power really there without us cooperating in it?

Is it not a story they are telling that we choose to acknowledge?

Perhaps one way to look at this all is to recognize that there is a reality that is neither just a hyper-relativistic (first person) constructed story nor a immutable (third person) law of existence. There is interplay, especially in many areas that matter to our psychosocial well-being.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Viktor Frankl

The above quote - often attributed to Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor - speaks well to perhaps the most basic and maybe profound way to shift from an NPC to a protagonist. Frankl invented logotherapy and is famous for his influential book, Man’s Search for Meaning. His work is often explained as a means for Frankl to find meaning in even the most terrible situations, (i.e., dealing with life in a concentration camp).

Certainly his example can give us inspiration to shift from helplessness to a more empowered position. Frankl believed that we can elevate ourselves above despair and nihilism with meaning by making a difference in the world, by having particular experiences, or by adopting particular attitudes.

In reflecting on Frankl and Neo in The Matrix, my mind shifts to thoughts of Buddha and enlightenment. As far as I have learnt, Buddha achieved enlightenment (reached nirvana) but was compelled to return to teach others the Eightfold Noble Path. This is resonant of the concept of the bodhisattva. While Buddhist scholars will delve into the nuanced difference here, for our purposes the bodhisattva is one who puts aside nirvana to be of service in the world to others in their quest for enlightenment.

We see this higher service in a variety of other holy and religious figures. I imagine you can name at least one. In some ways, we see this in Neo and Morpheus. I think the salient point here is that these figures are concerned with the well-being of others. It is not enough to elevate oneself and disappear from the ‘game’.

Frankl could have achieved his survival and state of self-meaning through his Holocaust experience and then kept to himself, but he was compelled to write about it, create a new form of therapy, and help others. It is likely that these ensuing chapters in his life made his suffering meaningful.

Not all of us are compelled to be writers or therapists or teachers but I believe we all have something to offer that is unique to us - whether it is the way we deliver it or the thing itself. I believe when we act from this place, our life feels richer, our suffering is more bearable, and we can wake up inspired with meaning. This is a stark contrast to the NPC state.

Ninth-century Chinese Buddhist monk Linji Yixuan famously told his disciples, “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.” One interpretation of this quote is that no teacher can tell you exactly how to live. That is for us alone to figure out.

Neo’s path, the Buddha’s path, or someone else’s path - whom we admire and see making a difference - are not our paths. We have our unique path. Some will affect millions and others might only reach a few directly but this is not a measure of superiority. Comparison is often unproductive, ego-driven, and illusory. We do not know the downstream effects of the few people we influence.

Consider the Butterfly Effect, that is, the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one place can lead to a tornado in another, or small actions can make significant differences. (I will refrain from dissecting Chaos theory here and run with this analogy in its most basic form.)

The point I am driving for is that many people feel their efforts are insignificant and will not make a difference; however, they do not know this for certain. Also, regardless of the immediate impact or even the perceptible impact, the act of striving to make a difference makes a difference to oneself and often those close to that individual. This in and of itself should be sufficient to inspire us into action.

Things as seemingly simple as a smile, a social media post, a random act of kindness, a sharing of a book or movie, or even just the act of living a healthy life can inspire others in ways we cannot discount.

A change in attitude, being of service, or engaging in an act that feels good in an authentic and joyous way (rather than a superficial and fleeting dopamine hit) is enough to shift the game. With these shifts and the feedback that one receives from them, we embody the role of an empowered protagonist and shed the depression and/or numbness of living in the skin of a NPC.

We are at a point in history where we have a very few, very wealthy and powerful people who wish to declare how the next chapter in human history will unfold. I wrote about the notion of declarations and their neglect of the people’s will in New World Orders.

If you’d like a preview of their vision you can get a summary of the founder of the WEF, Klaus Schwab’s book, The Great Reset. Spoiler alert: You’ll own nothing and be happy.

The book is real (not a conspiracy theory) but don’t buy it. Here’s a better overview.

You could also read Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus, the sequel to Sapiens and a parroting of the vision of these technocratic transhumanists. Harari’s a good story teller but a lousy philosopher and a cohort of Schwab’s at the WEF.

Spoiler alert: He believes free will is dead.

In my opinion, Sapiens was actually a worthwhile read. But Homo Deus was a give away, a tell, of the plans of those who would be happy to turn the vast majority of us into irredeemably trapped NPCs.

In the face of the G20-Davos-Gates-WEF crowd, we might feel our power is insignificant to stand up to their aspirations of a brave new world. The thing is their aspirations come from a place of fear, inauthenticity, and general self-hatred of their humanity. They are all ego and no soul. They are all “I” and no “thou”.

Don’t get me wrong, the ego can be problematic but is not a curse nor something to eliminate (which is an impossibility in this life). I think it is something to dampen and channel through our focus on others though.

The tension between the individual and the whole is often misconstrued. In political science, we see a reductionist rift between in a polarity between communism and individualism, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

I believe there is plenty of valuable synergy for community when individual’s are empowered and free; and I think that empowered individuals achieve their freedom in their relation to community.

Once again, the paradox of two seemingly disparate notions seem to be where the most mature and healthy perspective dwells. There is a lot to be said about how individuals can escape the shackles of being a NPC (helplessness and victimized) while still being a contributing part of the whole; however, I think I’ll save that for another time.

Before I share, what do you think?