If you have felt that sensation of being alive in the worst and best moment of history, congrats. You're experiencing the Anthropocene era in all its glory.

For those of us who left school a long time ago, the "Anthropocene" is the current socio-geological era of the planet, where humans have become the dominant force shaping the Earth. This era will end precisely when we go extinct.

As Paul Crutzen, the scientist who popularized the term, explains, we now move more material than all past natural processes combined. What's important is that beyond the technical definition, people like James Hollis perfectly summarize how it feels to be alive: we live in a time where every second we must ask ourselves if it's necessary to do what our “soul” demands or if we should yield and adapt to external demands.

This zine's mission is to help you find what your “soul” demands.

The most horrible and beautiful era at once

We hate the Anthropocene era for obvious reasons: climate crisis, extreme inequality, mental health in the gutter, shitty jobs, rotten politicians, and a system pushing us to get on the hamster wheel while the planet burns.

The numbers are sad: over 40% of college students report being too depressed to function most days. In the US, one in five adults experiences mental illness. Nowadays, teenagers —the generation that's supposed to change everything— spend over three hours a day on social media, making them more prone to develop depression, anxiety, and antisocial behavior.

Does this routine sound familiar? Scrolling while you’re on the toilet, working at a job that doesn't fulfill you, coming home to Netflix, indulging in junk food, a few drinks when the budget allows, and repeat until the end. That's the Anthropocene, the so-called “age of man” in action. An infinite loop of existential crap.

But we don't have to cry either.

It's in this era we have access to all human knowledge in our pockets. We can connect with people on the other side of the world who share our deepest niche of niches interests. Medicine saved us from dying easily at 30 from a poorly treated cold, and the Internet literally allows you to become a person you invented five minutes ago by tomorrow.

Modernity gives us the coolest tools to build the life we want, but also the most effective to self-destruct. It's like having a nuclear Swiss army knife: you can open a beer or blow up the neighborhood.

Your reality vs. "Reality™"

This is where this guide comes in because almost nobody is living their own reality.

Unfortunately, if you're in the loop I'm talking about, you're living the life designed for you by algorithms, brands, media, your grandparents, your toxic ex, or even that LinkedIn coach who says you need to get up at 5 AM to be successful. We all have specific neurons in our brains that drive us to seek social connection, but paradoxically, we experience record levels of loneliness.

Want to know if you're living your reality or someone else’s? The test is very simple.

• Do you suffer from chronic anxiety? (a sign that you're fighting against your natural flow)

• Is depression your co-pilot? (suggests disconnection from your authentic purpose)

• Is permanent boredom your default state?

• Does anguish visit you often?

• Does fear affect your decision-making?

If you identify with any of these “symptoms,” I regret to inform you that you're probably living in NPC mode. Running the script someone else wrote for you.

There's growing evidence that mental illnesses are more than just dysfunction; they’re signs that we need to realign with who we are, with our own “authenticity.” These emotional states aren't "imbalanced brain chemicals" but rather signals that something fundamental in your life needs attention.

The real reality is the new underground

Amid all this media bombardment, my mission is to show you, with examples, science, and numbers, that this is not the true reality and how to escape it.

The true reality is exactly the opposite of what you see on TV or in your Instagram feed. Aspirations aren't a Lamborghini or faces alike thanks to hyaluronic acid. Unfortunately, digital media is designed to capture and maintain our attention through content that triggers our threat and reward systems, not what nourishes you.

The most real reality, but you won't see it in these media, is that humans are living the golden age of knowledge and authentic connection. Love as a transcendental force is law, and practically everything you need appears in your life as if by magic. When you live the real reality, mental illnesses are left behind, and you experience the true glow-up in life.

David Eagleman, an expert on brain matters, discovered that "Every second the brain is reconfiguring". This plasticity allows us to totally rewire our brains to experience and see the world differently. Living your own reality turns you into a bomb of energy and even magnetism. Keeps you in "Phase 1" constantly, 24/7.

The problem is that modern life is designed to keep you away from that energy and those connections. It bombards us with false urgencies, invented needs, and guided fears.

Unlocking your reality doesn’t require courses or taking ayahuasca. It's simpler but difficult at the same time, as it requires a strategy that hasn't been written yet.

It's not an Excel with SMART goals and lots of emojis, nor is it an aesthetic vision board. It's a strategy that requires seeing your life differently and from there identifying exactly what problems you do want to have in it and which ones you DON'T.

Life without problems doesn't exist, but your mission is to choose problems that are worthwhile for you, that make you grow, that align with who you truly are. It's what experts call "tolerance for uncertainty" - learning to be comfortable with ambiguity without seeking immediate answers. Not all stress is toxic, but we must distinguish between the stress that makes us grow and the one that destroys us. But this is only possible when we are connected with ourselves. Are you in?