The Comfort Crisis Reveals the Importance of Intuition
They say that the key to life is being happy. But what exactly does that entail? Ask 1,000 people and you might get 1,000 different answers. It’s been my belief recently that happiness boils down to the ability to listen to and follow your intuition. But it’s occurred to me, and Michael Easter points out, that we now live in a society where our natural instincts are muted by all the “comforts” around us.
These “comforts” exist in many forms, but the most prevalent and detrimental are by far ultra-processed foods, unlimited entertainment on our phones, TVs, and laptops, and climate-controlled homes, cars and office buildings which invoke a sedentary life. As he points out, these modern luxuries have only existed for “around .03 percent of the time we’ve walked the earth.” But regardless of the infinitesimal amount of time they’ve been around, their level of toxicity has been enough to wreak havoc on our lives and our health.
Seventy percent of the adult population is overweight or obese. Over 40 million Americans have mobility issues. Fourteen out of 15 adults have poor cardio-metabolic health. And, the one that kills me, 1 out of 4 children are obese and/or pre-diabetic, and are now suffering from diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and colon cancer.
And the problems aren’t just physical. In the last two decades overdose deaths have increased 300%. In the last few years alone drug overdoses amongst 10 - 19 years old have nearly doubled, dragging life expectancy down to its lowest levels in decades, and crippling what should be the next generation of thinkers and innovators. The problem, as I see it, is that modern comforts has evolved in a way that blunts our intuition, which in turn leads us to make poor choices that run counter to our needs.
Our lives are filled with fake products and devices that interfere with our innate ability to seek out what we need. Fake foods cloud our brain and stop it from signaling to our body what fuel we need, causing us instead to eat more calorically dense manufactured foods that are devoid of nutrition and filled with sugar and chemicals. Social media makes us crave attention and acceptance from fake relationships and in turn ignore real ones. Binging TV shows, movies, and videos rob us of our inclination to be creative and curious and impedes on our ability to discover our path and achieve fulfillment. The list goes on and on.
It’s no coincidence that the happiest and healthiest people around the world are the ones who live the simplest and sometimes most challenging lives. Whether it’s the people of Okinawa highlighted in Ikigai or all of the communities studied in Live to 100, “The Blue Zones,” there’s a common thread they share. Embracing a life that brings them back to their natural inclinations, and stripping themselves of the desires and toxins that modern society promotes under the guise of “better.”
Living life in this way lends itself to call on your intuition, to listen to your gut, to follow your heart. The modern comforts of life can be enthralling, and they can provide enhancement, but they’re robbing far too many of us of our ability to heed the call. The Comfort Crisis provides a great framework for anyone who is looking to reclaim their life.