A Comfort Epidemic
About a month ago I finished reading a book titled “THE COMFORT CRISIS” by Michael Easter. Michael is a journalist and a professor of journalism at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. The book is an enticing investigation into how the modern world has completely altered our species and the importance of embracing discomfort to live your best life. In short, the book encourages us to seek challenges and break through our comfort zones. After reading the book I couldn’t agree more with Michael’s message. It inspired me to break through my own discomforts and ignore the voices in my head saying “this is stupid”, “nobody is going to read your shit or get involved”. But we will never know what we’re capable of until we try.
Whined the clocks back over 12,000 years ago (do the math on your phone calculator) we lived a life of constant discomfort, danger, and scarcity. Around this time on Earth we were hunter gatherers. Many of these tribes still exist today but the numbers are vastly miniscule compared to the rest of the population. Living in a hunter gatherer society means no domesticated livestock, no refrigerator, wifi, and no phones to take pictures of your iced coffee from Starbucks (currently writing this in Starbucks). We used to hide in caves to escape predators, we ran after animals for over ten miles until they finally tired out so we could stab them with a spear. We’ve replaced that headache with jumping in our cars to our local grocery store. When our ancestors were bored this led us to exploring new territory to help our tribe endure. We’ve replaced boredom with the Iphone that has over 14 models coming in different specs and sizes. We used to be constantly moving and exploring the world around us.
The way we now live is incredibly sedentary. Research has found that the average American walks 3,000 - 4,000 steps a day which is equivalent to 1.5 to 2 miles. Many of us have found complete satisfaction with doing the bare minimum. For example, you see a set of stairs and an escalator standing parallel at your local mall or airport. We consciously know taking the stairs will be harder but the return on investment by taking the stairs is far more beneficial for your heart and spirit. But we choose the escalator because we seek the easiest short term benefit. Almost every treadmill you encounter is guaranteed to have a pocket to place your phone horizontally. A lot of people dread cardio so it’s no mystery why some watch Game of Thrones while walking or running in order to distract us from the discomfort. There is nothing wrong with this and if it helps you more power to you, but our comforts in the modern world has programmed us to stray away from mental and physical challenges that I believe are essential to the human condition.
The human race is naturally conditioned to seek the easiest thing because that is a technique we habitually used to stay alive 12,000+ years ago. However, modern life has boosted this behavior leading us to feel ineffectual and weak. If you were to trace the data you’d see that the fitness bloom never started until the 70’s and 80’s. Physical exercise of course goes back centuries but it was never viewed the way we currently do, it was simply a way of life. Present day hunter gatherers have no idea that the word “exercise” is a thing. Why? Because they do it everyday in order to survive! Thanks to our great innovators we no longer have to live such a difficult life. Our modern comforts are amazing, we should absolutely enjoy them. I do by walking my cheerful ass to my apartment to bask in the air conditioning after a tough workout. I merrily skip down the aisles of ground beef and venison knowing that I don’t have to chase the animal for over 10 miles.
We should be filled with gratitude about these comforts but this does not mean we should seek comfort at every corner. Next time you go to the mall or the airport I encourage you to be the 1% who takes the stairs (unless you’re carrying excessive amounts of luggage). In the gym I encourage you to put the phone down and take your selfies after the HARD work is complete. Instead of running on the treadmill, run outside and embrace the outdoors. If you absolutely have to run indoors because the environment calls for it then put the phone away and focus on pushing yourself. The gym is a space for us to dive into ourselves and challenge the physical and mental limitations we place on ourselves. Focus on seeking a little bit of discomfort everyday! You’ll be making an investment in the long run that will prepare you for the challenges you face in the near future. There is a unique profusion in doing hard things; Helen Keller the famous American author, political activist, and the first person to receive a college degree while being blind and deaf (from Harvard by the way) once said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
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