For most of us, our upbringings were filled with the avoidance of discomfort. We always had a warm blanket to evade the cold; always had food to satisfy our hunger; always had someone to step in between us and our detractors… And while the intentions behind all those actions were good and genuine, we did not escape childhood without weakness from those experiences.
You see, in the midst of constant pampering, we became soft. We began to acclimate to an easy life without major difficulty, and the hunger that drives so many people to escape their situation faded into the distance. With no reason to fight against circumstance, the ability to fight for our needs deteriorated.
From this, by all other standards, luxurious lifestyle that we’ve taken for granted, we’ve become a sick society. Lethargic, self-obsessed, and up to our necks in consumption.
What would our ancestors think of us? The most technologically advanced species to ever roam the earth, also destroying the planet faster than any species before. Fighting person-against-person and nation-against-nation, with the seemingly ultimate goal of driving ourselves to extinction.
What can we do about this? Well for one, we can periodically remove ourselves from the comforts of everyday life, and voluntarily subject ourselves to discomfort. Cold showers, intense exercise, fasting, etc. There are many ways to go about this, but doing something certainly provides far more benefit than doing nothing.
One of the only ways to self-induce clarity is to remove distractions by taking on discomfort. In a state of mild pain or suffering, the meaningless aspects of life drift to the periphery, and the truth comes to light.
The pain you will face is temporary, but the perspective you will receive is ever-lasting.