The Disconnected Phenomenon

A few years ago, I began feeling a distinct disconnectedness from the world. Life wasn't going as it was supposed to. It felt as though everyone else was having a significantly better time than I was. Later, I realized I wasn't alone; there are millions of people feeling just like me. This sense of being disconnected has become a modern norm phenomenon.

We are not even aware that this is something we are victim of and we can cure this. After a little bit of reflection, I discovered the contradictions we call "living." We live in a world more connected than ever through the internet and social media, yet we are becoming increasingly lonely, distracted individuals. We live in a technologically advanced world full of inventions designed to free us, yet we find ourselves busier than ever.

I realized I had forgotten how to live in the moment. I felt stuck between regrets of the past and anxieties for the future, until neglecting the present became second nature. It reminded me of the words of Oscar Wilde: “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” I was merely existing, but I wanted to reclaim the sensation of living.

Resistance Against the Norm

I believe we are living in a sensitive era. Our lives are changing on a fundamental level as we are introduced to technologies whose long-term effects are still unknown. Mobile phones went from novelty to necessity in a few decades; now, they are an inseparable part of our lifestyle.

But phones and doom-scrolling are just the tip of the iceberg.

We are in a more dire situation, best described by Naval Ravikant: “Lone individuals summoning inhuman willpower, fasting, meditating, and exercising… Up against armies of scientists and statisticians weaponizing abundant food, screens, and medicine into junk food, clickbait news, infinite porn, endless games, and addictive drugs.”

The world is changing rapidly. While this change could escalate into something worse than we can imagine, we have the power to give it a positive direction. Individuals hold more power than we ourselves realize.

Planting the Seed of Knowledge

To win a battle, you need good strategies, and to create good strategies you need knowledge of your enemy.

Knowledge is power—it always has been and always will be. The first step to reclaiming our freedom is to be properly educated, and I don't mean a typical institutional degree. Learning is a lifelong journey, yet many of us have been taught to treat it like a race with a finish line, death is the only finish line.

Most of us are unaware of our potential because we all have unaware of true freedom. Fortunately, we can read about those who have tasted true freedom. We can study their achievements and their failures. Our lifetimes are too short to make every mistake ourselves so we must learn from theirs.

Fascinating and dangerous thing about our brain is that it is only limited by our thoughts. And what filters our thoughts are our values. Any idea we allow to take root in our psyche becomes an innate value, eventually manifesting through our thoughts and actions.

We are where we are today because of our values.

To change your situation, you must first understand the ideas that have already taken root. Pluck out those that clash with your new identity and plant new ones that affirm what you want to become.

Your values define your thoughts, your thoughts define your actions, and your actions define your life.

Reclaiming Curiosity

Life is fleeting. Before you know it, everything and everyone you love will be gone. It is a harsh truth, but it makes the need to have fun essential. We have developed a habit of postponing happiness until we "achieve" something, characteristics of becoming an so called "adult."

But being an adult is taxing; I would rather retain the heart of a child, the ability of live with a big smile, the ability to get lost in our own imagination and live without constantly seeking external validation. As we grow older, we often lose these childish characteristics to the monotone "busy-ness" of society.

Modern society defines happiness by the digits in your bank account. While money is an essential tool for security, we must find a way to thrive while having fun. Have you ever wondered why some people are exceptional at their craft? They don't view it as "work" in the traditional sense; they enjoy it as a child loves their games. They reach a state of "Flow"—where they are so in sync with their task that nothing else matters.

I believe Flow is the byproduct of curiosity. If we can reignite the curiosity we have lost, we can turn our "work" into an obsession. Finding the curiosity that fuels your passion is the ultimate way to create a life that isn't just a disconnected series of tasks, but a present, vivid experience.