Art
– Art, perhaps, is the most significant marker and guide, belonging simultaneously to the world of the Matrix and soaring high above its boundaries. Art is the glimmers of the divine on Earth. It doesn’t need to be explained or further interpreted in any way. It speaks eloquently and grandly for itself.
– The astonishing power of art lies in its influence on a person: it encapsulates the richest spectrum of emotions and thoughts in an accessible, visible form. Art operates with categories that exist on higher planes, and at the same time, it is inseparable from the everyday problems and concerns of a person in the Matrix.
– People of a delicate soul, artists, and creative individuals have always stepped out of the Matrix, but not to the extent described in my book. True art has always served as an anchor or indicator for them, showing what to rely on and strive for in this fleeting, transient world. Art – is an endless source of inspiration and enduring joy of existence.
– The main mission of art, in my opinion, lies precisely in this: to awaken all that is brightest and most beautiful in homo sapiens, to show them an alternative to the Matrix, and to help people find their personal, divine creative spark, hidden somewhere deep in the innermost parts of the human soul. First, to find it, and then to fan this spark into a massive torchlight procession. It’s true that by changing ourselves, we change the world around us. Only this way, and not the other way around.
– Art has a decisive voice in the dark periods of human history: in moments when, it seems, everything is destroyed and there is not the slightest hope for a quick renaissance. Then people, tired of endless crises, wars, and conflicts, finally direct their energy into the constructive channels of creativity, peace, and progress
Power of Music
– Music is a grand international language. To speak and understand it, you don’t need to have unique abilities or belong to any special caste or nationality. It is only important to attune yourself to the perception of beauty and open yourself to the world. As a result of this self-tuning, a person begins to perceive the world in such an astonishing form that describing the process in ordinary words becomes extremely difficult. And what are words for, when they sometimes only spoil the impression of the music, of its spiritual and emotional message?
– I am convinced that the two aspects that most vividly illustrate the ability of music to transport a person beyond the confines of the Matrix are its spirituality and sublimity, meaning the ability of a musician or music lover to quickly establish a direct channel of communication with God, as well as the unconventionality of music, its non-systemic nature. In my subjective opinion, four genres of music meet the aforementioned criteria: classical music, non-dance electronic music (in particular, ambient style, meditative electronics, as well as Berlin School electronic music), jazz, and progressive rock.
a. meditative electronic music
– Meditative music creates special worlds, and even spending a short time in them allows a man to harmonize his conduits and tune his subconscious to the constructive flow of Eternity
– Ambient. Among the prominent performers of this style, I would also mention the Canadian Jonn Serrie, whose space music alters the structure of the Matrix, transporting listeners to other worlds.
– Traditional “Berlin School” also has its roots in the distant 70s of the last century. This is meditative, cosmic electronic music based on repetitive sequences. The pioneers of the Berlin School style include groups and artists such as Tangerine Dream (translated from English as “Mandarin Dream” or “Mandarin Sleep”), Klaus Schulze, Adelbert Von Deyen and other artists. The most prominent musicians performing Berlin electronic music in the 90s and up to the present day are: Ron Boots, Gert Emmens, Mario Schonwalder, Rudy Adrian, Radio Massacre International, Sankt Otten, Arcane, and many many others.
b. Jazz
Jazz is essentially the progenitor of free improvisation in music, and in this regard, one could say that progressive rock took the baton from it (50 years after the emergence of jazz) and now successfully carries the banner of improvisation within its own genre.
The paradox of jazz, in my opinion, lies, on the one hand, in its incredible vitality and its unique ability to reflect the most typical, down-to-earth aspects of human existence, and on the other hand, in its complete and total anti-systemic nature and opposition to the ideals of the Matrix. How these two opposites combine within a single style is a mystery to me.
c. Progressive Rock
Progressive rock originated in the late 60s to early 70s of the last century in the United Kingdom. The pioneers of the genre were such remarkable rock bands as Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Procol Harum, The Soft Machine, and others. If almost all rock music is built on protest and rebellion, then progressive-art rock is a protest doubly, if not triply, so. Beside the classical, anti-establishment component of rock culture, progressive rock also contains a powerful intellectual core that reveals to the discerning listener the full strength and beauty of true art. Art in its purest form, without impurities.
– I admit that for me, as a musician and seasoned music lover, progressive rock played an almost decisive role in realizing the illusory and alien nature of the world around us — the world of the Matrix.
– Many things influence a person, but not all of them are obvious, and very often what people do not pay attention to plays a decisive role in their life experience. And progressive rock is not only a reliable means to expand your musical horizons but also a wonderful way to radically change your thinking and world view.
– And in the end, who knows, maybe even drive out to the launch pad of the cosmodrome, where a fully prepared silver “beauty” spaceship is already waiting, ready for launch, heading on the route “Matrix — New World”.
c. Classical music
According to Wikipedia, classical music is called that which has stood the test of time and has entered the traditional concert repertoire. Usually, the concept of “classical music” is applied to “serious” music, that is, music which requires certain mental efforts and concentration from a human for its perception, as opposed to “light” music, which is primarily intended for entertainment and often serves as background for various activities.
On the other hand, much of classical music was pop music for its time, not just a high moral benchmark, as it may seem to us today. Moreover, classical music is also perfectly suitable for background listening, not just for thoughtful, academic listening. Classical music, in the form we know it today, was finally shaped during the era of Classicism and Romanticism (17th-19th centuries).
Beside the spirituality and unconventionality of classical music, it is also necessary to note a third aspect that is particularly suited to classical music: namely, its healing properties. When listening to classical music, we calm down, relax, fill ourselves with positive emotions, and gain inner harmony and mental equilibrium (some, however, fall asleep to classical music altogether, but we won’t consider them).
For example, the music of Bach and S. Prokofiev is diametrically opposed in its essence and form, but the effect is the same: it is a musical cosmos that carries a human from the ocean of the System to the shore of truth, peace, and bliss, where neither agents nor other “sea monsters” can reach him, no matter how hard the System’s servants try to return their “battery” back to the Matrix. Such music heals, calms, and overall smooths out the detrimental effect of the Matrix on a person.
I consider all four of the aforementioned directions to be the music of the future, because only such music, which alters the state of consciousness deeply, is spiritual, healing, unconventional, shifting the focus towards “awakening” and a different vision of reality, deserves to be the flagship, leading its fleet (in this case, humanity) on the only true course.
The only exception is classical music, as it is still a conservative genre within which, in my opinion, further development is impossible due to its limited flexibility and lack of room for improvisation; but still, this style is unique and unparalleled in itself, and classical music will undoubtedly be listened to and performed for many more centuries (classical music does not need a future: it is always in trend).
Unfortunately, aforementioned four genres are currently far less popular than “silicone pop,” techno-industrial, rap (music of aggressive street teenagers), and other pseudo-genres imposed by the System. But I am convinced that the situation will change very soon.
– As an additional fifth category, one could include iconic soundtracks (though not all of them) to well-known films of the past and present, as well as contemporary melodies from popular science films. Take, for example, the main theme from the French film “The Professional” (music by Ennio Morricone), “Chariots of Fire” (music by Vangelis), the theme from “The Godfather,” “Mary Poppins, Goodbye” (the composition “A Change is Gonna Come”) and many others. Such music also contributes to “breaking the mold” and transcending the System.
Philosophy
The next form of art that we will briefly consider is a philosophy, and philosophical literature in particular. Perhaps, at the moment, this is not the most popular branch of art: in terms of information delivery, it certainly lags behind TV and the Internet, and in terms of the speed and receptiveness of this information by humans, it is far behind such forms of creativity as music and visual arts. However, if we even begin to superficially explore the literary heritage of the past few centuries, we will uncover a truly bottomless treasure reserve, compared to which all the gold in the world is worth no more than a broken penny.
And this is indeed the case. After all, books are information, and whoever possesses information, masters the world, no matter how cliché it may sound. It is indeed the well-read and wise people who rule the world, and they do so in the most diverse fields and types of activities. These people do not always act on the surface: they can be advisors, assistants, consultants, teachers to the ruling elite in different countries around the world. They could consult businessmen and newsmakers, heads of financial and multinational corporations, well-known journalists, international companies of various targeted orientations, schools, universities, research centers around the world, but at the same time remain “in the shadows”.
“Information-savvy” intellectuals have always been, are, and will be in demand by those who seek to actively influence global processes and promote their agenda. It is these shadowy cardinals of reality who are the direct authors of all the major events happening in the Matrix, not the puppet figures and mannequins who broadcast daily from television screens, whose deeds we also learn about from the interactive news feed.
“Shadow cardinals” are agents of influence and ideological motivators of our “today” and “tomorrow,” whether we want it or not. And Matrix agents, too, depending on the nature of their activities and how and where they apply the acquired knowledge (for good, for harm, or just for statistics), which specific idea they promote and in what way, and so on. Therefore, we will not touch upon the subtle moral and ethical aspects here, as morality and intellect are far from always being allies. The modern world is ruled by intellect (thankfully, mostly not artificial), not spirituality. Moreover, intelligence with a “minus” sign. Perhaps this is where many of our troubles and problems come from. However, this is a matter of debate.
– Another effective way to break free from the System (which is especially suitable for visual learners, tho not exclusively for them) is thru talented, “soulfully” crafted creations: canvases, graphic signs, images, symbols, monuments, and works by artists, architects, designers.
When an artist paints his picture, he to some extent idealize the Matrix, as an artist places on the canvas not a literal spatiotemporal representation of an object, phenomenon, or person, but rather an embellished or altered to the point of complete metamorphosis copy.
– The artist depicts reality as he sees it, filtering everything thru his experience, emotions, thoughts, and the creative gift bestowed upon him from above.
Here, one of the phenomena of art also manifests itself: it depicts life as it is and simultaneously as if in another dimension. It’s as if a human was temporarily given some magical glasses thru which he began to see reality in a completely different way: similar to what happened to the visitors to the Land of Oz in the children’s tale “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” who were given special green glasses at the city gates so that they wouldn’t be blinded by the splendour of the city’s beauties.
– By the way, perhaps this is precisely why the Creator, when designing humans, endowed them with the ability to distinguish colours: different colours and shades are, so to speak, beacons or hints for humans to ponder the meaning of existence and, thru a more esthetic perception of the surrounding world, to glimpse beyond the ordinary. Colours of various spectra (yellow, red, green, blue, etc.) are perfectly suited as an additional means to escape the System.
The Book of Your Life
“Stepping outside the System is not an open, destructive war. It is the creation of an underground, far-reaching network of free people united by a single noble goal.”