This is one of those books I would have never picked up had it not been for book club.
In his book The Comfort Crisis, Michael Easter explores “The Comfort Creep” and how humans have increasingly become averse to discomfort. To counter this, there are groups of people that attempt to do uncomfortable things. In this book, Michael Easter describes one such experience - his journey into the Alaskan Arctic to hunt Caribou. As he narrates his experience, he explores various facets contributing to comfort creep.
Here are my four takeaways from this book.
Van Gennep coined the term - “Rites of Passage”. This term referred to the rituals in historical societies that transitioned children into adults. These were often physically and psychologically demanding tasks. Think of the opening scene from the movie - 300.
Inspired by this, groups of people undertake hard and complex challenges. They describe these challenges as - Misogi.
The challenges in Misogi are “different” and incomparable - and therefore not competitive. They can range from moving heavy objects while walking underwater to undertaking a hike previously not done.
Misogi requires challenging yourself to do more than you are capable of. This challenge is most often physical and mental. Failure is typical as the journey intends to build layers of grit.
People vastly underestimate the consequences of failure today
The challenges are meant to be private and do not require an audience.
You do not tweet about your misogi.
As the author describes his hunt in the Alaskan Arctic, he remembers visiting Buddhist monks in Bhutan.
The monks introduce him to the concept of Mitakpa - also known to the Indian Buddhists as Avidya. Centuries later, it would be redefined by the stoics as Memento Mori.