I used to watch good people and pity them. they were so careful with others, so deliberate in their kindness, and it went unrewarded every time. the cruel ones got the promotions, the clever ones took their ideas. the world seemed designed to punish goodness and reward the exact opposite. that was all there was to it, it was a law, as immutable as anything i could observe.
Until enough time passed, maybe five years, maybe ten, and i check back in, and the clever cruel ones are sitting in some kitchen alone, looking old. and the good ones walk into a room and you can feel everybody soften. they didn't win anything you can measure, but people are glad they're alive. and no amount of success has ever replicated that. and it made me realize i didn't understand what fruit meant. i was looking for the wrong crop
FASTING TIMELINE:
4 hours:
Insulin drops, body finishes digesting
8 hours:
Glycogen burns off, fat oxidation begins
12 hours:
HGH starts climbing, mental fog lifts
14 hours:
Glycogen depleted, body flips to fat for fuel
16 hours:
Norepinephrine surges, focus sharpens, insulin near zero
18 hours:
HGH up 5x baseline, gluconeogenesis kicks in
24 hours:
Autophagy begins, damaged cells start eating themselves
36 hours:
Ketones flood the brain, inflammation drops hard
48 hours:
HGH up to 13x, immune stem cells regenerate
72 hours:
Old immune system gets wiped, body builds a new one
Now…
This is what your ancestors did every week for a million years;
You can’t get past breakfast…
And you wonder why:
- Acne
- Hair loss
- Bloating
- Mental health issues
- Bad breath
- Low testosterone
- Eczema
- Autoimmune issues
- Depression
- Cravings
- Anxiety
- Binge eating
- Low sex drive
Exist.
Wake up guys…
If doomers are right, their reward is being able to say they were right. If optimists are wrong, their punishment is being able to say they lived in a state of excitement and wonder all the way up until they were wrong
To add to this, finding enjoyable action is deceptively tricky.
We live in an age of individuality trapped in a body that evolved to thrive in clans, so unless such action directly benefits society as a whole, it loses its enjoyment. It is almost as if evolution itself slowly rewires your brain to derive less dopamine from such action so that it may instead pursue tasks that better benefit your clan as a whole.
Furthermore, humans have a remarkable ability to adapt. Whilst this is a great mechanism for survival, it is lousy for finding enjoyable action. Our innate adaptability, coupled with a desire for novelty, can render even what was the most enjoyable action to crippling boredom.
Nonetheless, the continuous journey of finding and re-finding enjoyable action is one of the most worthwhile pillars of a happier life.
"These are not easy questions. Who am I? Why am I here? They’re not easy because the human being isn’t wired to function as an individual. We’re wired tribally, to act as part of a group. Our psyches are programmed by millions of years of hunter-gatherer evolution. We know what the clan is; we know how to fit into the band and the tribe. What we don’t know is how to be alone. We don’t know how to be free individuals."
every glance at your phone is a moment you'll never get back. while you worry about money, they're stealing your life in five-second increments. they harvest you. not your data. you. nothing is free that costs your presence. nothing is harmless that addicts your awareness