Full text archive of the Whitepill.org blog
About
What is the whitepill?
It is a system meant to help a person reach self-actualization. The aim while following it is to be able to live a life of contentment, if not of outright happiness. It works as a guide, especially for those suffering in our society who feel their lives are empty and lacking meaning or purpose.
This is a “pill” due to the fact that these ideas can be “swallowed”, changing one’s perspective. For a thorough explanation read this.
Is the whitepill only for those depressed or lacking purpose?
There are already many refined systems or philosophies out there to lead a “good” life (e.g., Buddhism, Stoicism, Taoism, Epicureanism , etc), but they all tend to require heavy changes in lifestyle for a person to adopt them, especially for the average person living in the 21st century. We live in a society where depression is skyrocketing, suicides increase every year, and the ridiculously rich keep the masses subjugated and living in misery; it is not easy to find the willpower to build a new lifestyle from scratch. Therefore, the whitepill attempts to be pragmatic instead of idealistic, giving small and simple exercises to achieve joy in our daily life.
Why white specifically?
White is created in additive color theory by mixing the primary colors (red, green and blue), thus white is metaphorically the unification of information from other “pill” systems, like the redpill, bluepill, blackpill, etc. White is also associated with hope and positivity, even though the whitepill is very much down to earth. The name isn’t important at the end of the day.
Will it help me be happier?
Happiness is made up of many little things. It will in all likelihood improve your quality of life the more you apply it. Whether it makes you happy or not depends on how you define happiness. Try it and make your own mind about it.
Articles
The Whitepill
What is the Whitepill?
It is the name given to a system of ideas developed over the years that aim to achieve happiness in our depressive and oppressive 21st century society. It’s an experiment, an amalgamation of ideologies, and a psychological and physical guide for those who feel that they have no purpose in our world.
Because let’s be frank: Most people today aren’t happy.
Some enjoy life. They have close loved ones, engaging hobbies, love their job and field of study; maybe they have enough money to skip work altogether. Then some people are okay with life. They study, but lack motivation. They work, but they wish they didn’t have to. They find life lacks a spark, and merely look forward to the next fleeting moment of joy. And then some people don’t enjoy life. They long for loved ones that do not come, have a job they keep only to avoid starving, feel dread at waking up to another day of infernal routine.
The whitepill is aimed for the last group, although hopefully anyone can take away lessons from here. Overall, this is a guide made for people to get out of an endless cycle of depression and despair.
Where does the whitepill come from?
The origin of the “pills” comes from the Matrix: Morpheus offers Neo one of two pills, a red, or a blue one. The red one would allow Neo to see the reality of the world he lived in, while the blue one would take him back to sweet ignorance.
Thus, in the early 2000’s two sociological understandings appeared: The bluepill and the redpill.
The bluepill is the belief that when it comes to social interactions, true personality and being yourself are key to success. The redpill claims the bluepill is unrealistic, and that instead certain attitudes and behaviors maximise your impact. Dress this way, talk that way, behave this other way. The blackpill is an extension of the redpill that appeared in the early 2010s. It is based on the idea that appearance is the most important consideration in our society, impacting almost every interaction we have.
The whitepill was created in response to the three pills. In contrast to them, it does not seek to explain our world, but rather tries to use the information already gathered to adapt to it and prescribe behavior.
All in all, I make no promises. My hope however is that the information in this blog helps you, even if just a little.
1 - Desire
Probably the hardest but also most significant idea from the Whitepill is the belief in getting rid of insalubrious desire.
Desire for sugar, for alcohol, for sex, for money, for power. Any desire you aren’t achieving (and even those you are, but that you constantly desire for more, in an obsessive cycle) creates unfulfillment, and therefore anxiety, longing, and pain.
Dharmic religions (e.g., Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism) traditionally hold this view, claiming one should get rid of desire. If desire is gone there is no clinging, when there is no clinging there is nothing but the self – and thus joy, as one already has everything one wants.
Of course, saying something and acting on it are two very different things. Because this is a practical guide, it doesn’t demand such dedication, and it doesn’t dwell in the theory too much. Instead, it asks that you ponder your current desires and aim to rid yourself of the biggest offenders. In time, you can progress to the smaller ones and repeat until you are satisfied.
Do you wish but can’t attain…
- A significant other? Find the joy in being alone. Realise that being alone and being lonely aren’t the same thing, and that you can actively be open to new relationships without obsessing over them. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, should you really keep thinking about it endlessly?
- Material things? Notice that you have lived your life without a particular object of desire until now, and that your happiness isn’t dependent on it. If you get the object in the future that’s great, but don’t link your happiness to its attainment.
- A better career? You can be enthusiastic, apply yourself, look for a better job, ask for raises, but don’t let your objectives become you. Going to work being plagued by anxiety and unfulfillment will only harm you.
It’s important to realise that letting go of desire doesn’t mean not taking opportunities when they present themselves, nor being unable to enjoy them when they happen. On the contrary, this is about letting go of expectations and obsessive thought. Stay in the present, enjoy what you have now. It may be unfair that you don’t have or are offered more, but anger and frustration will only harm you. Remember: You do not physically hurt. The pain is in the mind.
2 - Animal Companions
Humans are social creatures. Because of this, it is very hard to achieve happiness without interaction with living beings. Unless you are a monk and live in deep meditation, which you likely aren’t.
It doesn’t matter if you currently have a romantic partner or not, or if you have a good relationship with family and friends. A pet is very different from a human being. They help release stress, relax, and give you unconditional love at any time of day, no matter the circumstances.
For most people growing up in our community, loneliness and lack of love are a major problem. Relationships can be a big hassle, especially if your life is already looking not great. Having to deal with a partner’s issues, immaturity (both theirs and your own), and fights between you two can rapidly make you feel worse than before.
Pets are the perfect catalysts for interaction. Cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits – decide how much responsibility and what kind of personality you are looking for when deciding type and race, and enjoy having someone who relies 100% on you as a friend on demand. While this means you have the responsibility of feeding and taking care of their waste, they won’t ever disagree with you, be picky, be unfair, betray you, or leave you. They’ll love you to death for who you are without caring for race, age, appearance, or ideology.
If you’re depressed, sad, feel like crying, or even feel suicidal, go and seek comfort with your pet. It won’t fix the issue, but you will feel better.
Side note: While adopting is always better (you give a chance to an abandoned poor soul), you will have less issues getting a young kitten or puppy, as they’ll bond with you easily and won’t have trust issues. If you’re in doubt, you can visit an adoption center without compromise if you are doubtful about making a choice.
3 - Hobbies
Free time is a killer for those with low willpower or depression, as it allows you to lose sight of your objectives, fester negative emotions and thoughts, and reinforce a loop of laziness and procrastination.
One should always look for activities to fill in those gaps of free time, as it will not only keep negativity away, but also help form a lifestyle of activity and make you more productive and better at what you do.
Some examples:
- Riding the bus: Instead of looking out the window or browsing social media, read a book or explore new music.
- Taking the elevator up to your apartment: Run up the stairs instead, you’ll gain endurance and get your daily dose of exercise.
- Watching TV: If you insist on watching shows, be sure to pick those that give you moral or social commentary, don’t watch shows for the sake of watching.
Some hobbies to pick up: cooking, fishing, painting (try looking up Bob Ross), writing, programming, playing guitar, playing poker, woodworking, investing (crypto included), blogging, “looksmaxing”, jogging – even small things like learning to solve a sudoku or Rubik cube will give you small insight into how our world works.
Remember, the idea is not to make you into a machine, on the contrary; the idea is for you to enjoy life to the fullest and not let your mind wander into bad thoughts. The more you do, the more you’ll look back and smile at how far you’ve gotten. The skills you pick up will help you later in life too by standing out and impressing friends, associates, or romantic interests.