Orlean Out: Escaping Modern Times
Recently, I did an experiment that absolutely changed my life more than anything ever has.
For context, I was at a point where I was beginning to achieve success in the very things I dreamed of as a kid. But ultimately, I felt unfulfilled. Something wasn’t right. I was making what I considered the ultimate checkmate move… yet everything felt sideways. My energy was low. My interest in doing the work was fading. I was lost.
I found myself on my knees, praying, which was strange, because I was never religious. But I’ve always been curious and open-minded. I felt disoriented, scattered, and couldn’t come up with a single idea that lit me up.
Disclaimer: I don’t think anyone should do what I did. In fact, I don’t think 99.9999% of people will even attempt this. But if you dare, here’s what I did.
I eliminated almost everything. I stripped everything down to see if I really needed the food I was eating, the products I was using, or the habits I’d normalized.
Here’s what I cut out:
Chocolate
Caffeine
Pastries
Eggs
Potatoes
Sugar
BBQ/Buffalo Sauce
Mayo
Fried Foods
Sushi
Ground Meat
Pork
Cannabis
Frozen Foods
Sesame
Soy
Alcohol
Processed Foods
Shampoo
Soap
Cologne
Deodorant
Lotion
Toothpaste
Mouthwash
What happened next is too simple to explain, but it can’t be felt unless you experience it for yourself.
Most people will check out by this point, and that’s okay. If you’re still here, I’m just sharing what happened to me.
My skin became naturally moist. I used to have really dry hands all the time.
I started dreaming again. Deep, vivid, movie-level dreaming.
My workouts? On fire.
I shower with just water and a cloth. No odor. My lady has no complaints.
In the morning? No morning breath.
I use water, a tongue scraper, floss, and a toothbrush. That’s it.
No bloating. My digestion is on point.
My bathroom trips? Clean. Strong stream, no dribble. (Yeah, I said it.)
It’s wild.
You might look at that list and say, “Well yeah, of course cutting that out changed you.”
But for me, it’s deeper than that. This experiment made me question everything.
At first, I thought this was about physical health. About eliminating fragrances, estrogen-producing chemicals, seed oils, fluoride, and hard-to-digest foods. I thought I was just doing a cleanse.
But what I learned is that this was actually a spiritual experience.
I was proving to myself that I am not a slave to my habits.
That I am not bound to what I once consumed.
That even things that feel logical and “normal” can be questioned and in that questioning, you may find something you never expected.
Will I live this way forever?
I honestly don’t know. I’m still kind of shocked by what’s happened.
It’s not something I want to talk about with most people.
This kind of thing is weird. It’s not popular. And honestly, unless someone’s ready to ask these questions, it won’t make sense to them.
I’ll keep going, stay curious and continue to listen for rhythm and flow in my human experience.
Because the more tech advances, the more I see how humanity is being stripped away.
AI writes our thoughts.
We don't train to play the game, the technology trains us.
... and, robots officiate the game too.
Businesses are built on automation instead of handshakes.
Cars drive themselves. Food cooks itself.
Everything is being generated through machines.
Chemicals. Artificiality. Convenience.
And somehow, in all this ease, we’ve lost the point.
The older I get, the more I realize the answers were never out there. They’ve always been inside.
We don’t need all these products.
We don’t need to modify, hack, or enhance everything we consume.
When you strip it all down and get to what’s essential, you realize that it’s everything and more.
For decades, we’ve obsessed over solving the what.
But the ultimate answer has always been the who.
All in all, being human is an ancient practice, not a modern culture.
Orlean Out. Peace!
