What occurs as we distract ourselves with highly dopaminergic activity is that we becoming increasingly numb to the reality of the world. We become so accustomed to distraction that the world we’re distracting ourselves from becomes painful, leading to further distracting. We must unshackle ourselves from the prison of our own minds and become more accustomed to true reality, which is worrisome, painful and anxious-ridden, but it’s also beautiful, fulfilling and meaningful. In order to make friends with reality, we must first take responsibility. Unfortunately, the world we live in now encourages using our issues as reasons for inaction. Of course, many have been victims of horrendous traumas, however the route towards self-fulfillment does not come with victimizing oneself. I’m not suggesting taking responsibility for theharms done to you by others, just that you take responsibility for your inner-interpretation of these harms. Victimising ourselves has become part of thefabric of modernity. Oppression has taken the front seat of our narratives and rightly so, as long as these narratives consist of solutions, but when oppression is used as an excuse for inaction, we are victimising ourselves and halting progress. Humans are incredibly skilful at creating reasons why we don’t struggle more, why we aren’t ambitious and why this person made me this way. No one is responsible for your behaviour other than yourself, so take responsibility for your life and make it better. Or blame others, society and theworld for your inaction and see how far that gets you.

Secondly, we must lean towards our pain and the reality of the world, immersing ourselves in its beauty and terror. We must become aware of our attempts at escaping from reality so that we can limit this time and expand thetime we spend within reality. Unfortunately, the reaction of instant pleasure from dopaminergic behaviours or dopaminergic drugs and foods is not similar to the pleasures felt from embracing struggle and reality. We feel the pleasure straight after problematic behaviours and drugs but we feel the pleasure of fulfillment less frequently. The pleasure may not be felt following each positive step and therefore we must be patient in our struggle. We must have faith that each positive step is leading towards meaning. Just as Victor Frankl philosophises in Man’s Search for Meaning

Consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the meaningof the whole film cannot be seen before it’s last sequence is shown. However, we cannot understand the whole film without having first understood each of its components, each of the individual pictures. Isn’t it the same with life? Doesn’t the final meaning of life, too, reveal itself, if at all, only at its end, on the verge of death? And doesn’t this final meaning, too, depend on whether or not the potential meaning of each single situation has been actualized to the best of therespective individual’s knowledge and belief? (1)

Keep On Struggling

Gregor

Book I’m Enjoying - The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté

Whilst I did mention Maté in the previous newsletter, I want to specifically mention his new book which I’m finding very useful. “In his new masterpiece, renowned physician, addiction expert and author Gabor Maté dissects theunderlying causes of this malaise—physical and emotional, and connects thedots between our personal suffering and the pressures of modern-day living. Over four decades of clinical experience, Dr Maté has found that the common definition of 'normal' is false: virtually all disease is actually a natural reflection of life in an abnormalculture, as we grow further and further apart from our true selves. But he also shows us the pathway to reconnection and healing.”

Like I said last week, the book and Maté’s teachings has led to some fairly profound realisations and introspections regarding my own childhood and life currently, which I believe is only the tip of the iceberg.

Buy The Myth of Normal below.

BUY HERE

Film I Enjoyed - Get Out

I know I’m late to the party on this one but I finally watched the Oscar winning Get Out. “A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.”

I was hesitant to watch this as I am not the biggest fan of horror films however this does not feel like a horror, however tense it may be. It features brilliant performances and direction and profound themes that will leave you speechless. So if you have not watched Get Out yet, do.

Watch the trailer below, which portrays the film as more of a horror movie than it is I promise.

WATCH HERE

Multi-Vitamins I’ve Began Taking - Bulk Sport’s AM/PM

I’ve been looking for a supplement that provides an ‘insurance policy’ of nutrition, something that covers all my basis in terms of vitamins, minerals and pro/pre-biotics. Of course, I try to cover these basis with food, however it’s close to impossible to consistently do this. The majority of supplements offering this are rather expensive however I found Bulk Sport’s AM/PM and it seems to do the trick.

Buy Bulk Sport’s AM/PM on the Bulk website below or on Amazon.

BUY HERE

Quote to Ponder

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito - Betty Reese

References

1) Victor Frankl - Man’s Search for Meaning

2) Article Image - lifehack.org

3) Book Image - Booktopia

4) Image Bulk - Amazon UK