I think people underestimate how good bodies and brains actually work.

We often judge things when we don’t like certain output. Depression? A malfunction in the brain. Anxiety? Some reptile instinct that we don’t need anymore.

It’s those kinds of narratives that are dangerous when it comes to understanding something. You can also see it like this: a depression is exactly as it should be. It’s not fun, but a lot of people do things a certain way, and then you get depressed. If I have a twisted ankle, I’m also not looking endlessly at the twisted ankle. The twisted ankle is the output, not the problem. A depression is output, not the problem.

I know, it’s not nice to say this. Who am I to judge all these poor people who need help and have a biological malfunction in the brain? Sure, there will be some exceptions. But if you look at the rate of people who are depressed right now, combined with the raw number of things you can mess up in your life for a long time, then I can guarantee you it’s 99.9999% output—not the original problem.

I have seen so many people who were happy kids and then spiraled downward over the years. That’s not a broken brain.

Back to the brain. What do we actually know? Nobody knows how it works. Smart people are working the other way around—they see both body and brain as unbelievably powerful machines that you can optimize. Everybody has practically a solar system in their minds.

It takes years to understand how important daydreaming is. It takes years to understand how a brain has a voltage meter. It takes years to understand how to balance your whole energy over the week, months, and years. It takes years to understand nutrition. It takes years to understand the importance of working out. It takes years to understand the relationships between things. It takes years to understand the importance of creativity. It takes years to understand that sometimes you have to behave a bit crazy.

I was in a psychosis a few years ago. Now, I am happier than most. It’s a skill you can master.