For a while I had detached myself from the Matrix and was free-falling in some weird world filled with soccer stadiums and boiled boerewors rolls. I was surrounded by people on a mission: pseudo-friends clad in colourful warrior garments representing a kaleidoscope of nationalities and varying ethnic flavours. It's taken me a week of Caveman detox to reattach myself back into the Matrix.
The Caveman rules:
- Never go hungry. Starvation is not the aim. Plan ahead for the day.
- Food is not Love.
- If you fail one day, start again the next day.
- Drink lots of water.
- 5 fruit and vegetable helpings every day, in between or with meals.
- Wait at least 10 minutes between helpings.
For those keen to take it up a notch:
- No processed foods including sugar
- No caffeine or other stimulants
- No dairy
- 1 x morning cup of HTFU (Google or click here if you need details)
Consider eating anything that a Caveman would eat: lean meats, chicken, eggs, rye bread, honey, salads, soups, nuts, dried fruit, fruit, veggies, brown rice, 1 x glass red wine permitted, cous cous, etc.
One week on that and my caffeinated brain nearly exploded. I added the cup of coffee a day and I feel as though I am back on the grid. Morpheus said it best:
The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.Not only was caffeine a requirement in my daily commute, but my iPod began to malfunction and access to my audiobooks was refused. There's only so much Radio 702 one man can listen to without wanting to resign and go on a crusade to save the world.
I let the batteries go flat and started again from the beginning. The iPod was resuscitated. To celebrate I downloaded "Matterhorn". It was recommended to me by Audible.com because of my previous purchases. Interesting to note as my previous reads were "Cry the Beloved Country" (political novel written a few generations ago however still relevant today), "Blink" (decisions you make in the blink of an eye), "The Tipping Point" (work hard enough and things may happen), "The Climb" (how not to climb Everest), "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (the many things you can do to an individual if they screw you over). Somehow, all these titles suggested that I would enjoy Matterhorn, a novel about the Vietnam war. I didn't think too long and hard as to how they worked that one out, so I downloaded it.
There's something about warfare and the stories I used to hear from my friends who were conscripted into the South African Defence Force during the days of *war* with Angola and its version of terrorism that makes this book hit home. I'm not sure if it's because I am a male, or because I have kids that I would fight and die for, or because I work in a large organisation with varying soldier levels. Whatever it is, Matterhorn is, so far, an impressive and detailed look into modern warfare written from the eyes of the soldier on the ground. It also makes you question what your perception of pain and discomfort really are. A good solid book. Somehow the guys at audible.com know me quite well.
I'm not ready to be unplugged from the grid - just yet.
~RobbyRicc
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