Episode 331 | Rising Above Digital Tribalism Through Self-Transcendence with Wade Lightheart

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Social media was originally designed to connect people, but it has arguably created more divisions than ever before. The unintended consequences of the digital age have contributed to tribalism’s resurgence. As people become more afraid to acknowledge the common thread that binds us all together, the need for self-transcendence becomes stronger than ever.

This week, Wade Lightheart shares how you can move beyond your tribe by looking deeper within yourself. Once you can accept your limitations and revitalize your spiritual connection, it becomes easier to practice empathy and be present for yourself and others. In the end, Wade stresses that we are all equal in the face of death.

Tune in to the full episode to move along on your journey to self-transcendence.

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Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

Discover the effects of tribalism and how to challenge your beliefs.
Learn what being present means.
How does Wade experience self-transcendence and radical love? Find out in the full episode.

Resources

The Social Dilemma (2020) on Netflix
Episode 18 with Simon Sinek
The Divine Romance: Collected Talks and Essays on Realizing God in Daily Life by Paramahansa Yogananda
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Episode Highlights

The Resurgence of Tribalism

Everybody lives in their echo chamber that feeds their confirmation bias. The first step to rise above tribalism is to challenge your own beliefs.
The brain can only make decisions based on what it’s exposed to.
Tribalism has always been a collective heritage of humanity. Brought by technological innovations, social media has recreated the conditions of tribalism, which group people with similar associative biases.
Shackled in these self-reinforcing groups, people begin to fear showing their vulnerabilities.

Anger and Discernment

When people feel threatened, their fight-or-flight response is activated. The brain perceives a political argument in the same way it would assess a threat from a predator.
Computer programs manipulate your brain to hook you to the experience of pain and pleasure of strongly identifying with your tribe, resulting in deeper divides.
When pain becomes overwhelming, there’s a chance that people will surrender the need to identify with their tribe.
History shows us that unification can only be achieved with bloodshed and suffering.
It will likely get worse before it gets better.

On Spirituality and Humanity

According to Friedrich Nietzsche, the lack of connection to spirituality and an overarching principle of divinity increases the desperation for survival.
This makes a person incapable of acknowledging their non-existence. To accept death is to live truly.
Empathy is a crucial component of human interaction and separates us from animals.
Grace and humility are essential in your journey of acceptance.
You have to come to terms with your limitations before you can accept the shortcomings of others.

Wade’s Spiritual Journey

During his ongoing journey of self-discovery, Wade discovered an unpleasant aspect of his identity.
He brought it up with friends and colleagues, highlighting the importance of company in your spiritual journey.
Although he hasn’t resolved that issue yet, he’s willing to sit in its presence.

Being Present

For Wade, to be present means being simultaneously connected to the universe and going about his life on this material plane.
He experiences self-transcendence or achieves the highest state (nirvikalpa samadhi) in those rare moments during meditation, where he feels the edges of his mind crash.
Presence is activated by a deep desire to connect with no hidden agenda.
If you’re holding space for others because you’re waiting for a payoff, that’s not what ‘being present’ means.
Being present is to reach a point where forgiveness is unnecessary.

Fostering Kind Connections

To be kind to others, start with yourself. Examine your identity in the context of your concordant and aversive relationships.
When you challenge a person’s tribal beliefs, they may lash out and excommunicate you from the tribe.
However, recognize that you created that response in that person and the role you play in the chain of events.
We tend to excommunicate other people in our tribe that don’t want to connect with us.
It’s fine to come to an impasse and agree to disagree. Give up the need to be right and have an opinion about everything.

Sainthood vs. Self-Transcendence

Christian Western ideals push for sainthood or the perfection of the personality, while Eastern philosophy celebrates enlightenment or self-transcendence.
Wade feels that ‘transcendence’ is better than ‘sainthood’ in dealing with his own ‘garbage’.
He seeks to transcend himself to gain humility, thereby possibly transcending other people’s ‘garbage’ as well.
This process of transcending might lead to a point where he realizes that there was no ‘garbage’ at all.

The Mind–Body Connection

Practicing body discipline requires concentration and mental work.
Most people are focused on opening energetic systems but not on increasing the energy flow.
To engage in your opposite (Yin to your Yang) requires discipline and mental focus.
When you progressively strengthen the mind, it’s possible to reach the spiritual realm.
The spirit takes you beyond your physical and mental capabilities.

On Death

There’s a high aversion to death in the Western world.
Wade first experienced death when his sister was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He entered the health and bodybuilding industry to come to terms with this experience.
Death is the greatest equalizer.

Defining Freedom

Freedom is one of Wade’s greatest values, but it’s something he’s still working on.
After a breakup, he explored plant medicine, enlisted the service of Tony Robbins, and went through neurofeedback.
He realized that he wasn't working towards freedom but was only attached to the concept of it.
Wade discovered that he became the person he used to coach: a prisoner of his success.

How to Radically Love

The only way to experience radical love is to embody it.
You have to extend radical love to others first with no expectation of anything in return.
Wade experienced unconditional love during a past relationship with a partner who had a drug addiction.
He realized that to love a person radically means letting them live the course of their life without imposing your projections and expectations.
In his best moments, Wade would recognize radical love in his life, but he would cut himself off from it in his worst moments.

5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode

[03:09] “As opposed to broadcasting to everybody else how they need to fix themselves, we need to reverse the search engines. Stop seeking a confirmation of our beliefs and start challenging our own beliefs, starting first with yourself.”

[13:35] “So the first thing and the most important thing for people to get clear on themselves is that you're going to die and to accept that death. Now, once you accept that, only then can you really live.”

[25:51] “Presence for me is an idea and an ambition that you go and you get closer glimpses of it. And it's usually activated by empathy and it's usually activated by a deep desire to connect with someone in a way that's not self-serving.”

[48:07] “Death is the common element that we all share, we all cannot avoid, and what makes us all humans.”

[56:54] “The only way I can experience radical love is to become it myself, in myself... So if I want to be radically loved, the only way I can do that is to radically love so that I can actually experience the energy of it.”

About Wade

Wade Lightheart is the president of BiOptimizers, a company out on a mission to help others achieve a biologically optimized state of health. A three-time Canadian natural bodybuilding champion, Wade is one of the world’s premier authorities on natural nutrition and training methods.

To learn more about how he helps others achieve a richer experience of life, visit his website or enroll in his 12-week health course. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram.