I experienced a moment of enlightenment, a sudden self-realization. A combination of my prior knowledge triggered by a catalyst caused a chemical reaction in my brain causing this feeling. This sparked a higher and deeper understanding of my life, society, and the world.

Prior Knowledge

This epiphany occurred with my accumulative knowledge from my lifetime on earth coming together:

• Lessons learned through training Jiu-Jitsu, both body and mind
• Studying sociology during my scholastic career
• Stories I’ve read and ideas I’ve obtained on topics of life philosophy, technology, politics, and society
• Traveling and seeing the different lifestyles and quality of life of people in different parts of the US and abroad

One of the major facilitators to my epiphany — Jiu-Jitsu is everything.
From your posture, how you walk, food you consume, how you interact with people, your mood and energy throughout the day, how you live life.

It shows that everyone can get along and work together to improve each other into being better people regardless of your background, status, or religion.

The Problem

American society is in shambles and it’s deep rooted. So many of us live unhappy, misguided lives and in turn a lower quality of life. The way of life is terrible for the majority of people. Drive across in a road trip and you’ll see lots of unhappy people living a lower quality of life both mentally and physically. I did and I’ve also traveled abroad. And i think it’s an American issue because people in other countries are generally much happier and treat each other better. Just look at tourist areas like Las Vegas, New York, and National Parks, they often find amusement and are appreciative of everything we take for granted on a daily basis.

Norway is the happiest country according to the Happiness Report. (US is 14th)

Who is the first person you look at in a group picture of you and you’re friends? I look for myself and I’m sure you do too.

We have a system built on debt and living on credit and that ties into people living outside their means to replicate a lifestyle that is falsely idolized. We’re looking for happiness in the wrong ways and wrong places. This distortion of our values is led by the status quo-media, entertainment, advertisement, and social influencers. Our reaction to all of this is buying more product, material possessions, to fulfill something that is missing or inadequate in them. This is the illusion we live in and it causes us to obsess over ourselves. Who is the first person you look at in a group picture of you and you’re friends? I look for myself and I’m sure you do too.

Selfishness is it. That’s the underlying problem. It equates to greed and the cause of current issues like the wealth disparity, healthcare, and environment. People in power only considering themselves (or their group) and making decisions that reflect that. Seeing the rest of us as “they” instead of “we”. It’s a societal issue that has been ingrained in all of us.

And I’ll tell you now that the cure for selfishness is the message I’ve arrived at. It’s compassion for others. That’s the only way we’ll see each other as all human and the same.

The Catalyst

How did I come to this realization? Well, instead of sitting under a tree like Buddha, this happened following a night in Vegas.

A place that maintains a desirable outward appearance to conceal the dirty underlying truth.

This occurred after a night of going to the extremes of daily life. Drinking responsibly and talking to random people like the security guards and bathroom attendants to get insight into their perspective on what they observe everyday. That is, Las Vegas is an extreme place; people converge there from all over the world to escape their daily life and briefly live a lifestyle that is a facade they see on TV or social media. A place that maintains a desirable outward appearance to conceal the dirty underlying truth. I treated that night more like an analyst doing research, using the opportunity to study social groups and their behavior first hand by gathering data from both experienced observers and participants.

I had an overwhelming feeling of appreciation so much so that I texted my friends who I felt had helped me in my journey to tell them how much I appreciated them.

In the morning, I woke up with a heightened awareness. First I had a feeling of incredible sadness, to tears, because of an insightful perspective of what took place the night before. That reflection of Vegas, what American society is today and my friends who are right dead in the middle of it all. After that extreme sadness, I had an overwhelming feeling of appreciation so much so that I texted my friends who I felt had helped me in my journey to tell them how much I appreciated them. Following that, I had a feeling of seeing the good in people that everyone is beautiful and that gave me an amazing feeling of happiness.

This was different from any energy I’ve experienced before in that it’s both high and has sustained itself.

At brunch, despite drinking a lot and getting little sleep, I was energized while everyone else was tired and slumped over. My energy felt unusually high, even to where I questioned whether I took any drugs the night before. It occurred to me that I was operating on a different frequency. Not to say I didn’t participate by drinking, but it was starkly contrasted by everyone else who was riding the roller-coaster; because they relied on dependencies like caffeine, drugs, and alcohol to ride the wave of feel good highs and then crashing lows which is common in our society. This is akin to having a clean renewable energy supply vs. fossil fuels — a limited and unpredictable supply of energy. Since then, I’ve felt a sustained energy that hasn’t waned a bit.

This was different from any energy I’ve experienced before in that it’s both high and has sustained itself. Previously, I’ve experienced a healthier energy level in my daily life that I can contribute to Jiu Jitsu. Since I’ve started training I’ve lost almost 30lbs., have more energy, and I no longer get food comas after binge-eating, that perhaps explains the zero hangover. When the body is stronger, more well-equipped, it is much more prepared to handle anything you throw at it. With the body and the mind being intertwined, training my body was a crucial step in my journey.

The Individual Chain Reaction

We can improve our society today by starting at the individual level. One way is by breaking social norms (more on that later). Another way is helping those that need you — those who are in the corner alone by themselves. They come in difference appearances, sometimes it’s obvious like someone calling for help on the side of the road, other times it’s more subtle. For those, you can spot them in a number of ways. They may look:

1. Unhappy
2. Stressed or tired
3. Low energy (like a zombie going through the monotony of daily life)

And when you help one person it causes a chain reaction that can accelerate both dramatically and non-linearly. Meaning it can spread not just quickly but widely by planting seeds within bystanders. The amazing thing is, it can affect those who see it as much as those who receive it. I know I can’t help everyone, but I know I can help one person, one moment at a time. For example, I make it a point to talk to any new faces I see that come into Jiu Jitsu class.

When I slowly started changing myself and how I see others, I began helping more, being more aware of others, and I saw how their faces lit up and mind opened up.

It starts by being kind to each other and talking to those that need help. Your group of friends aren’t the ones that need you the most, it’s the people that have no friends that do. This philosophy continues when you lead by example and introduce people to the idea that you don’t have to live life the way you are expected to by breaking social norms.

The individual that holds this power is yourself. When I slowly started changing myself and how I see others, I began helping more, being more aware of others, and I saw how their faces lit up and mind opened up. This is a powerful thing and I have been entrusted to share this feeling of empowerment by showing others how they can improve their lives as I did. Too many people have invested their time into me as a human being that I can only show it the proper respect it deserves by paying it forward onto others.

The change you want to see starts with yourself. That’s how we can fix American society today.

The Gentle Art

Jiu-Jitsu was the great facilitator that opened my mind to this philosophy in practice, first hand. To begin, we must understand that physical and mental health are one in the same. By training Jiu-Jitsu, I was training my body to find comfort under extreme pressure and move in unconventional ways. I was breaking down my ego everyday realizing I was the weakest person on the mats. Going through that is probably one of the most difficult things anyone can do but it teaches you about true self-esteem and more about yourself and the world than any formal education. It is something a person has to experience rather than be told about. There are so many human needs that aren’t met in modern society, and Jiu-Jitsu is an outlet to express myself in ways I’ve never imagined.

It creates better human beings one individual at a time.

It is an art form for releasing and testing your creativity, physicality, problem solving skills, and in turn, it rewards you with mental toughness and a mantra in how to live your life. It creates better human beings one individual at a time. Just training this martial art alone actually hits almost every single point in the 10 Proven Habits of Happiest People In The World. First comes the body, then the mind will soon follow.

The Breaking of Social Norms

Doing things that may look or sound funny or unconventional to other people, that’s what I mean by breaking social norms. Do things that feel good to you and make sense to you, not what is expected of you by societal pressures. You will receive strange looks by others, as I occasionally do, and you’ll realize that’s okay. It’s okay to be different and follow a different path than what is considered “normal”.

By continuing to do things for your true self, you will stop acting the way you’ve been told you’re supposed to by society. You’ll be happy, even when stuck in traffic. You’ll get to be yourself more often, act how you want to, say what you want, do what you want. And if you see someone trudging through the monotony that is “day to day life”, talk to them.

If everybody is doing the same thing, it’s probably wrong

If you are awaken to this philosophy then it is your responsibility to break outside of the mold and do it as often as possible to show others the way. You already know that if everybody is doing the same thing, it’s probably wrong. So embrace being seen as different but understand that deep down they are the same as you, they just haven’t awakened free yet.

We are born enlightened and as children we are closer to enlightenment than as adults. As you grow older, society represses it, “it” being the joy of life. When I began to break free from the pressures of society is when I experienced my moment of enlightenment. You can experience this too, just by breaking social norms, and the best part is that it’s feels amazing.

The Innovators for The Greater Good

An example of breaking from society’s constraints is looking at the innovators and disruptors in the tech industry. The tech industry has been booming because they are innovators, doing things that haven’t been done. The purpose of tech companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon are to improve the lives of people through the advancement of technology and connecting the world.

Elon Musk is a great example of breaking social norms and therefore seems crazy to a lot of skeptics because of his ideas. By not being normal by societal standards, he’s accomplished and doing great things — contributing to the proliferation of electric cars, propagation of renewable energy, advancement in space exploration, and a proposition to revolutionize transportation.

Joe Rogan is a comedian, MMA commentator, and most importantly the godfather of podcasting. He utilized his platform and status to influence tens of millions of listeners through the medium of podcasts. Regularly inviting scientists, philosophers, writers, and other experts from all walks of life to have 3 hour long conversations and expose their ideas to a broad audience. Personally, he’s exposed me to numerous of thought paradigms and who is responsible for me discovering the art of Jiu Jitsu.

Be brave enough to think and act for yourself without impingement by social norms and the accepted status quo.

Both Elon Musk and Joe Rogan are on the path to enlightenment. They are contributing to a cause for the greater good, to help mankind. This calling is common in those who are on the path or may have experienced enlightenment. Some being historical figures including Bruce Lee, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Dalai Lama. There is a common mantra among them — be brave enough to think and act for yourself without impingement by social norms and the accepted status quo.

The world will be a better place if you do.

The Philosophy of Being Selfless

The Jiu Jitsu mats – its the one place where everyone is equal, it doesn’t matter your religion, race, job, age, gender, where you’re from, any of it. You all share a common goal in learning and personal growth and you strive for it by helping each other become better. And when you become better, you remember how you were helped when you first started and it compels you to help that new person who walks through the door on his first day. This is working together to make the world a better place at a microscopic level.

Break free from your differences with others because to really help yourself you need to help others. It is a give and take, paying forward what was given to you. Too many of the millennial generation today are fixated only on themselves. By helping others you’ll learn how to be selfless. By being selfless you will encourage a change in people that is contagious and in time help us all.

One world, no borders, we are all humans, we all share the same goal, we are all one, there is only us. Start with yourself and then help others find their own way.

This is how we improve society and shift the current paradigm.

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

— Carl Sagan

Disclaimer: My realization is by no means a new discovery. This was just my account of my personal journey that I now believe completely in my heart.