This past week, I was in South Carolina speaking at a mastermind event, and I heard the craziest and most thought-provoking presentation that I've heard in years.

Dr. Jack Allocca, a researcher in the fields of psychedelic pharmacology, machine learning, and the neuroscience of altered states of consciousness, presented a compelling argument that our extreme domestication is robbing us of joy and peak experiences. We were not designed for the current level of resources and information abundance and relative safety, and because of the jarring advances and addiction to technology:

• We are in an epidemic of mood and attention disorders, addictions, apathy, and complacency

• We no longer have easy access to peak experiences

• Our only option is digital dopamine and net negative drugs

• We can't compete with Netflix and digital dopamine

It's true. It's sad. And it hurts.

We've traded real-life joy, wonder, and ecstasy for cheap digital thrills. We are no longer able to be wowed by the sunset or a giggling baby because we can't be bored long enough to pull our heads out of our phones and enjoy creation.

The morning after hearing this presentation, I woke up early and went walking before the sun came up. I took a few photos to memorialize the experience, and I noticed something.

I saw people just standing in the ocean. Watching. Anticipating the arrival of the sun... mostly elderly people. Maybe they know something we don't.

That life is but a vapor, and when it's over, it's over. So don't waste it lost in digital intoxication. Rather, soak it up, be mindful of the moment, and take joy in the life we've been given.

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