Flashback: No Substitute for the Real Thing
Birth of Clarity #40
Welcome to the Birth of Clarity newsletter on Substack.
Today is a throwback article from September 2020 (I’ve been on Substack since the early days - before it was cool!) I aim to sporadically release these old, previously published posts over the coming year.
A viral tweet I wrote around this time - which has since been copied to death - inspired the post below. It was written to highlight many people’s stumble towards a “fake reality”, i.e. substituting the real things in life for fake replacements.
Despite being written close to 4 years ago, this post is as relevant today as it was back then and I hope you find some value in it. Be sure to comment after reading to let me know.
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Fake reality
It’s easy to forget in a world so fake that a lot of the things we do are not natural. They are not real. They have been created to entrap, enslave and distract. We have been sold the idea they are great substitutes for the real thing - when they clearly are not!
In most cases, they are not only fake but they are hurting us. They are detrimental to our natural way of living. We’ve even convinced ourselves these things are normal. We have adopted them as if they are better than the real thing.
When was the last time you questioned the things you do? When was the last time you thought; “this isn’t natural”? This is fake. This is surely hurting me. This thing is not providing me with what I think it is. I’ve been duped!
So, what do I mean? Well, below is a viral tweet that illustrates the point clearly. It makes you wonder what natural things we’ve taken for granted by allowing these fake substitutes to take their place.
Porn isn’t sex
Sugar isn’t food
Gaming isn’t real life
Alcohol isn’t medicine
Cigarettes aren’t fresh air
Social media isn’t freedom
Energy drinks don’t hydrate
Reclaim the natural
By replacing the natural elements of our lives with fake ones, we have moved away from the best things on offer. We might not even be aware we’ve done it. Below, I argue that it’s time to rejoin the real world and ditch our fake reality.
Porn
Excessively watching porn is not natural. You’re not part of the real thing. You’re not connecting your body and soul with another. You’re merely watching a staged performance to entice you to watch more and get hooked.
Sugar
Sugar should be cut out of your diet as much as possible - it's more addictive than crack! It lacks the nutritional goodness of natural foods and locks many of us in a cycle of addiction. It’s not a replacement for real food.
Gaming
Excessive gaming stops people from interacting with real people, face-to-face. It allows people to become immersed in unnatural worlds and prevents them from exploring the beauty of nature, talking to real people and enjoying the world around them.
Alcohol
Alcohol is not a substitute for proper help and healing. It should not be used to cure your pain, depression, anxiety and/or stress. I’ve tried to use alcohol for these things and more, and it didn’t work. Don’t fall into the same trap!
Cigarettes
Cigarettes are a significant threat to human life and their lethal effects are often underestimated. Smoking is a leading cause of cancer, heart disease and lung disease. Counteract this by breathing fresh air - it’s free and all around us!
Social media
Much like porn and gaming, excessive social media use takes more than it gives. It robs us of real human connection and warps our minds into believing people really act this way. It traps you in another weird, fake reality.
Energy drinks
Energy drinks are not suitable for hydration. It’s worrying to see the amount of people who down cans of Red Bull and Monster instead of water. Hydrating yourself properly is essential for natural living.
Conclusion
The examples above show how absurd our thinking can be. How easily led we can be. How gullible we can be. How easily propaganda and peer pressure can sway our rational thinking. How negative habits can become powerful and blind us from reality.
There is no substitute for the real thing. There is no substitute for the natural way. There is no substitute for the things we may take for granted. There is no substitute for the real world. There is no substitute for being present and embracing life.
There are so many fake things in the world. So many things that we’ve adopted as part of our daily life. So many things that appear to be real but are an illusion. That’s why it is time to reassess and reevaluate things we consider “real.”
It’s also good to look at the “unnatural” things we do. Whether they are on the list above or not, some of us do other things that go against the natural way of living. For instance, do you drive when you can walk? Or take an elevator when there are stairs?
Have a think and let me know what you come up with. I hope this article has been useful. Remember, there really is no replacement for the real thing. We may need to reprogram our thinking but a more natural way of living is always for the best.
Here are some helpful articles related to today’s post:
Thank you for reading: “Flashback: No Substitute for the Real Thing.” If anything in this article resonated with you and you’d like to ask a question or comment, please get in touch:
Check out the last post: “Nature, Nourish and Nurture: A Mental Health Reset.”
Take care,
Roscoe | Birth of Clarity
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