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Intro

The next pills are what come after the black pill, and rather than being a specific pill, it can be one of the following, some of them, all of them. This is what happens when you grasp onto something to pull you off of the black, and into the next. It becomes your lifesource, your saving grace, sometimes literally. This is the period of bargaining, of "If I just...". It is a reestablishment of hope, but faint, bargaining to live again. It is nowhere near as painful as the black, but it is fragile, like a seedling, and just like a seedling, it is dangerous to be here for long, as the longer you are a seedling, and not something stronger, the more likely you are to become a perennial, cycling between all of the previous stages in season, rather than getting strong enough to become a tree, firmly rooted and growing stronger day by day. It is a transition zone, but marked still as a separate zone, rather than just an instantaneous event.

There are many pills that could be written about, I am going to focus on some of the most common for men, as I am one, but there will be overlap of course. Again, this is bargaining, where you whisper:

If I just focus on...

• Chaos
• Land
• God
• Tribe
• Tools

...then I'll make it through. It is not full healing, but only the beginning. I have colour coded these myself, but the colours are much weaker than the main 5 I am writing about.

Polka dot

The ironic or chaotic pill, those that break during depression have a chance to end up here, if not dead. Death could not grab them, or something snapped within. Nothing matters to them still, but maybe if they laugh hard enough, the pain subsides for a little bit. These people are not angry, not depressed, but just broken to the point they can see that they are truly broken, now matching the world. Well, the world's not dead yet, keep going. These are the cynics, the shitposters, and the jesters. Niche corners of the internet are their main home.

Brown

The protection of nature, ecology and of life. This is the focus on land. Be it a very specific piece, or a more holistic approach, this is where you see the people that are "we may not save all of it, but we can save some of it". These people are no longer angry, but are the ones with the shovel doing something. They are not sitting idly, or yelling for action, they are doing it. This is their way of coping with the mess. Dig a hole, plant a tree. They may be the leaders of the red pills when it comes to environmental protection, using the numbers of red, and their anger to amplify their voice, but they are the ones pushing for change.

Gold

Finding God, spirit, or belief in some form of higher power. This is where you get the conversion stories of "after hitting rock bottom, I found Jesus sitting beside me in the form of a homeless person. They comforted me, fed me, and read to me from the Bible. Now I am working for God's Kingdom, not trying to make a big enough mess that God comes to fix it, but to try and build it today".

These are the ones that become public speakers, that carry themselves with an air of certainty, in fact, this air of certainty is a strong indicator of these other pills. They are still bargaining, but they are seeing hope again, and that is good. Other examples are other spiritual beliefs, but not just in the vain shallow ones, these are the ones that can handle a debate, not just by quoting, but by their own synthesis as well.

Blood

The formation of a new family. The more dangerous of the group, easily ties into the masculine red pill, but still can be quite wholesome. They still say "I got mine" but like a good older parent or grandparent, they see the need to protect beyond their immediate family. They will clean up their castle, no matter how small it is, will become the family oriented person, and are likely to settle or get married to someone in a similar situation.

See cases where an emotional connection is made to someone offering to pull them out, and they get together. Their family is their everything, and be ready for the greatest dressing down if you get in their way. This is fierce belonging.

Rust

The need to create. This is another one that can be easily misinterpreted as relapse into red pill. This is the use of knowledge and creation to become a creator. One who builds, learns, and reforms. Quite rare, usually quiet, but is the one that would find out how to build a website from scratch and host it in their house. To make something, not to tear it down, but to say it is good. Not for sale, as it does not have a price, but to explore, create and collect.

All of these are valid paths of leaving despair, the danger is how long one clings. There is a difference from clinging to the cross, and having it be the entire you. The downside of this is the "I'll make it through" line. What are you trying to make it through? What will give you the point of rest? This is more restful than the black pill, but you are still not whole once again. This is bargaining, saying that because I do good, good will come to me. The most dangerous thing in this section is relapse to depression, or even anger. Entering those other areas feels like being alive again, with low effort, but like attending too many parties, they become drug like. This section is hard work, and the best to do is keep going, and expand from just one focus into more. This way if you stumble in one, you don't fall back into the pit of despair.

The main thing is is to keep going. If you're going through hell, keep on going for you might get out before the devil even knows you're there. Find more ropes, pull yourself upward, you can make it, and finally arrive at the common last stage, the white pill of acceptance.