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Red pill and blue pill are terms used in social science to refer to choices people can make. The idea of the red pill and the blue pill originated with the 1999 movie The Matrix, in which a character must literally choose to take a pill that is red or a pill that is blue. The terms blue pill and red pill have come to stand for either closing one’s eyes to the truth about society and living in “blissful ignorance” or accepting that society lies to people and only the most observant who choose to see its reality can know the truth. These terms are especially important in Internet culture, where the term red pill has become related to politically conservative groups and even hate groups. For the online groups that hold misogynistic and antisemitic views, taking the red pill also involves believing conspiracy theories about women, people with alternative sexual and gender identities, Jewish people, or racial minorities, and accusing these groups of lying about discrimination to further their own “agendas.” Despite this appropriation of the meaning of the pills from The Matrix, the film’s creator has pointed out that the choice of the red pill and the blue pill was actually largely influenced by her decision to come out as an individual who identifies as transgender or trans.

Alternately characterized as a religion and a philosophy, Discordianism is a belief system that promotes chaos as a path to creative and spiritual liberation. It was co-founded by Gregory Hill (1941–2000) and Kerry Wendell Thornley (1938–1998) through their text Principia Discordia, which was conceived in the late 1950s and first published in 1965. Working under the pen names Malaclypse the Younger (Hill) and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst (Thornley), the pair introduced Discordianism to 1960s American counterculture.

The meaning of life is a concept that is difficult to pin down. The seemingly simple question—What is the meaning of life?—hinges on a number of other questions. What is life—a biological state, a consciousness, an examination of the universe as a whole? What gives life meaning—achievements, a sense of purpose, longevity? "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?" by Paul Gauguin. Paul Gauguin [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro is symbolic of Christianity, illustrating the concept of seeking redemption through Jesus Christ. By Dkoukoul (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons