A man spent years forcing himself into communities that didn't fit, from raves to pharmacy, until autoimmune disease forced a reckoning. He found a tribe where his nervous system could finally relax, and argues we can choose communities that help us thrive instead of just survive.
Chapters
Do you know there's creatures whose instincts actually kill them. Honeybees, bee stings. You usually sacrifice its life in the process. Humans also have instincts that can actually kill them. Number one driver of human behavior is actually the sense of belonging, the instinct to fit in. Way back when I was around the rave scene, I was having count hangovers, stress as a result of trying to fit in and be cool. Then I became a pharmacist. Didn't really belong there either. Then my body totally kicked it into survival mode, and that's when I had an autoimmune disease. Going through that, it was almost like going through a metamorphosis. Like I had to completely let go of the old and call in the new. And in the end, I discovered a whole new tribe, a new community. I feel like I'm just surviving, but a community that makes me feel like I'm alive. And humans have the ability to override instincts. So when you have this sense of belonging and need to be a part of a tribe, which you know is making worse, you can consciously choose, do I just survive or do I come alive?