I remember sitting at my desk feeling like there’s got to be more to life than this.
Spending long days in the office, letting my body deteriorate, and living with chronic low-grade job-induced stress made me consider that modern capitalist society has got this whole “life” thing wrong.
In the years leading up to this, I embarked on a journey of trying to understand what it means to be human and what it would take to optimize our short time here on earth.
I found that the current system we’re living in is in many respects, the exact opposite, of what I understood to be a life well-lived.
But when we know no other system, its hard for us to conceptualize anything different.
Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave
Perhaps you’re familiar with the story where Plato describes prisoners who are chained in a cave that’s backlit by a flame.
As people walk by the flame, they cast shadows on the wall.
The prisoners have spent their whole lives observing these shadows believing they represent reality.
Then one of the prisoner breaks free of the chains and escapes to discover that a whole world that exists beyond the cave, and the shadows are a false reality.
Yet when he returns to notify the others who are still shackled, they think he’s gone mad.
Shadows of the American Dream
Sometimes I’ve felt that the standard corporate American lifestyle is akin to the shadowy false reality Plato describes. It represents:
A reality where a metabolic disfunction and preventable chronic disease is accepted as a fact of life rather than the result of being disconnected with nature
A reality where sacrificing well-being to ascend the corporate ladder is celebrated rather than derided
A reality where social constructs such as money, status, and title take priority over true markers of success such as health, relationships, and spiritual relevance
The fact is that from the time we were born, up to this day, most of us have only ever existed in this reality.
So it is very difficult for us to adopt a perspective of someone who exists outside of the Western economic system.
For most of human history, this is not how we lived.
We are a highly evolved, deeply social, and migratory species who thrives when we use our minds and body in unison with nature, rather than against it.
You were not designed to sit at a desk all day, moving PowerPoint slides around.
You were never meant to spend your week waiting for Friday to come, then getting Sunday anxiety as your weekend comes to a close.
This does not have to be your reality.
You have a greater purpose than spending the prime years of your life serving in a capacity that is misaligned with your greater calling.
Your Authentic Self Is Begging To Escape
If you’ve ever felt like you want to just stop everything and leave it all behind to do something different, then I’m here to tell you that is your authentic self speaking to you.
That’s your subconscious mind telling you what you already intuitively know, yet you suppress it with your rational, logical mind (the one that’s still chained to societal norms).
So I encourage you to step outside of the proverbial corporate cave and enter a new reality where you’re spending your days healthier and more connected with the people you love, all while doing genuinely purposeful work that is aligned with your idea of a well-lived life.
If you know you’re meant for more, you’ll need to first break the proverbial chains that are keeping you stuck in the old reality.
For most, that entails building a path to income and autonomy independent of the corporate 9-5 system.
Connect with me and I’ll show you the way: