Are We Institutionalized?: Insights from “The Shawshank Redemption”
After our wine tasting expedition in Sonoma, Ca, we settled in to watch some TV. The Shawshank Redemption came on. It was a great movie by many accounts, including the lengths that Andy Dufresne, (Tim Robbins) went to feel truly alive and free. He spent a month in “the hole” for playing “Duettino Sull'aria”, a piece of opera music, over the loudspeakers for the entire prison to hear.
Andy Dufresne: “That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you...haven't you ever felt that way about music?'.....there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside...that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours.”
Another theme that stood out for me is the concept of being “institutionalized”. The character Brooks Hatlen, played by James Whitmore, memorably put a knife to his friend’s neck in order to halt his release from prison, his home for 50 years. Not being able to cope with the outside world, he hung himself. Red, played by Morgan Freeman, also struggled after being released, not knowing who he was or how to act outside of his micro-cosmic home in prison.
As I am awakening and stepping out of “the Matrix”, or engineered reality, it has become clear to me that the human race is in a type of prison. Unfortunately, most of us don’t sense the prison bars and the unseen forces who have created the system that is our current institutionalized reality. We think, “that is just the way it is”. Without probing deeper, we accept disease, suffering, poverty and war as a part of life. We accept this sub-par existence because we don’t understand how incredibly multi-dimensional, powerful and infinitely loving we really are at our core.
We come into the world programmed by epigentics from our ancestors as well as the belief systems of our family, friends and society at large. We are trained to only look to the outer world for our validation and direction. The media intentionally promotes violence and fear, pitting us against each other in competition with the false idea of “survival of the fittest”, when they are not dumbing us down with such shows as Chrisley Knows Best or the Housewives series. The natural response to this society is anxiety or depression…but don’t worry, Big Pharma has a pill for that. Unless we come into the world in an enlightened family, our path is already cut in this engineered reality…we follow that deep groove of religious beliefs, the teachings of our school system and then go to work in the debt slavery system. I am not suggesting there are not many beautiful, deep and soul-captivating elements of our reality. Many of us are blessed with the love of family, blissful moments such as watching our sleeping child and the captivating beauty of nature.
But…have you ever asked yourself, “How did I get here?” It reminds me of the Talking Heads song, “Once in a Lifetime”:
“And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?"
Well, how did we get here? Our large institutions: government, western medicine, media and educational system were steered at the highest level by an “elite” group over thousands of years in order to disconnect us from our true nature and our own source connection, so they could remain in control. Don’t take my word for it, “Duck, Duck Go” search the origins and funding sources of our main institutions and follow the money. You will find that a small group of billionaires control so much through the Federal Reserve, large corporations, private foundations and NGO’s.
Furthermore, what we are taught in school about origins of the human species is now coming to light as incomplete at best and often outright false. We are not encouraged to look within, tap into our soul’s intuitive knowing and value our unique genius. Contrarily, we are programmed into a narrow lane of what is desired, or fits in nicely to this engineered reality. So how is it that our reality here on earth is primarily a closed consumptive model vs. an open creative model? Why are we only “successful” in society’s eyes when we earn degrees from established educational institutions so we can go to work in order to buy a large automobile and a beautiful house and attract that “beautiful wife”?
There is a way out of this false matrix. It is consciously deciding every minute where you choose to place your intention and attention. Will you chose competition or collaboration, fear or love, scarcity or abundance, conformity or freedom? By aligning your thoughts, words and actions with honesty, love and respect for all, you will raise your vibration and ultimately be able to see the false matrix for what it is. If you want to dive deeper, join us for our free Zoom “Red Pill” discussion on Wednesday, September 15 at 7p ET by registering on Raisingthevibe.org/events. It will be moderated by Robert Novak and myself and mainly be Q&A based.
Now is the time to dream your wildest dreams and take action. The good news is that you don’t have to literally chisel out of prison for 20 years with just a rock hammer. You have the keys to your own “prison”… release past trauma and forgive yourself and others. Also, be willing to see the shadow side of our reality, so it can be neutralized and transmuted in your personal field. Hope you find your personal “Zihuatanejo” with Andy Dufresne living your best life.