5 Ways to “Hadzify” Your Life
Spoiler: Not a single recommendation below is related to liver, or even bison! Surprising, I know, but still certainly worth your time!
I recently returned from Lake Eyasi area of Tanzania, home of the Hadza aka Hadzabe people and tribe. I stayed with them for about a week, immersing myself in their world, seeking insight into my past, our past, and the story of humanity.
Why would one want to “Hadzify” their lives? Well, as far as I can tell, the Hadza are the happiest, mentally-fittest/healthiest, and most present people I have ever been around. Their sense of presence, calm, and stillness is at once subtle and profound, and while we are the same species, the Hadza appear to be running on different software, or a different operating system—yes, they are human, but they are remarkably different from us modern western folk. If you, like me, want to know what is in the Hadza “special sauce” that keeps them so content and happy, I suggest implementing a few items from below that were some of my main takeaways from the experience.
1) trust in yourself
The Hadza have an unwavering belief that they are capable of going through whatever situation, scenario, or reality presents itself to them. They embody immense confidence and trust in themselves that is neither arrogant nor boastful, but more matter-of-fact; you’ve made it this far, why would you expect anything different? At least, that seems to be the line of logic for the Hadza. They come from an unbroken line of successful hunters, gatherers, nomads, and people who have gone through 60,000 years (estimated) of hardship. Why would now be the time that the chain is broken?
This attitude seems to dispel away any sense of anxiety or worry about so-called catastrophic scenarios, tragedies, the “unthinkable” scenarios. For those with three and four-letter acronyms like PTSD, GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), MDD (major depressive disorder) and so on, could this be a fix?
The Hadza have never experienced a “panic attack” or anything like it, and why would they when this is one of their most fundamental beliefs? If, at the foundation of your core, you truly believe you can and will handle every scenario put before you, then you trust yourself. And with this deep sense of trust, we can move forward in the world hakuna matata style—no worries, because we have the most competent human being on our team—I. We can confidently say, “I trust myself. I trust that I will be able to move through any and every part of my life. There is no need to worry about the future, because whatever it is, I will be able to meet it and move through it.”
Perhaps this belief is already part of your fundamental worldview. For everyone else, I encourage you to really think—how many horrible, life-or-death, world-ending tragedies have you endured? These can be anything from a firefight in war to the sudden loss of a loved one at peace time to your beautiful perfect child losing their health. Any one of these scenarios could be a nightmare—but when you trust that you have the tools you need to get through the situation, with no expectations attached to the outcome, we can live in the moment and glide through these tough times with a sense of ease, grace, and trust that we will, or have already landed.
2) trust in your environment
Going hand in hand with tenet 1), the Hadza have an equally deep sense of trust in regards to their environment. They believe that they are capable of doing whatever is necessary in each moment, and also believe that nature will provide what they need on nearly a moment-to-moment basis. They use food, tools, goods, materials, water, and everything else at their disposal immediately after acquiring them. There is no sense of anxious thought, “but, what if I need this later?" I would guess the Hadza might be puzzled by this question, and may shrug saying “well, I could use it now!”
Because they fundamentally believe that nature provides everything necessary to their surviving and thriving, the Hadza do not save much or spend significant resources planning for the future. They typically own a single bow, some knives, a single set of arrows (each with its own purpose/intended game animal), a single set of clothing, and some cookware. They don’t keep material goods or stored food, because when they run out of food or a clothing item breaks down, the Hadza trust that nature will yield a replacement as needed.
The Hadza are so trusting of themselves and of Nature in fact, that they (with few exceptions) find the idea of employment and paid wages absurd. The thinking goes thus: “why would I spend my time, doing something I don’t want to do, for somebody else, to eat and to live? I can eat and live on my own. All I need to do when I am hungry or thirsty or need material goods is to take a walk in Nature, and I will get what I need.” These beliefs may seem absurd, Poly-Anna, or Disney-like to a modern westerner. However, this is the living reality of the Hadza. Everything is provided for, and they live without anxiety on a day-by-day basis.
Just as the Hadza deeply trust in nature, we too can trust in our environment. We are not as immersed as the Hadza are in natural wilderness, but we do have our own sense of setting and environment. What if we trusted this too? We are surrounded by an abundance of food, water, shelter, medicine, and social opportunities. Instead of feeling like we need to stockpile and hoard it away for the day it might not be there, what if we trusted in the abundance? What could that trust and paradigm-shift do for our own mental health?
3) Don’t sweat small stuff (or any stuff, really)
OK, there are layers of meaning to this one, including the literal—when hunting baboon with the Hadza, I was literally pouring sweat off my face onto my glasses, my clothing, and the dirt beneath me—my eyes stung as we rested on top of the mountain with half a dozen baboons being tied together like backpacks to carry downward. I panted and looked around me—the Hadza were not sweating, or if they were, it was only dimly visible as a glossy sheen on their skin, not as droplets or any visible fluid. While I continued sweating and catching my breath for maybe 10 minutes, the Hadza seemed to be fully recovered in less than 5. No sweat, no hard breathing, they seemed glad to be on top of the mountains, looking over Hadzaland, with game and dinner in hand.
On the deeper levels of meaning, the Hadza don’t sweat small stuff—like physical pursuits, personal grudges, material items, or really anything that I could tell. I didn’t stay with them long enough to see, but I have been told there is jealousy around sexual partners, and that the Hadzabe norm of monogamy can be broken with results not unlike those we see in the west—jealousy, hatred, etc. With the exception of sexual mates, it seems that the Hadza really don’t get stressed. I witnessed a 7’ (2 meter) long venomous spitting cobra enter our camp, and the entirety of camp focused their resources on it until it was killed. There was certainly a high level of excitement in the air, but it was notably distinguished from stress—in fact, there was nothing stressful about it. The situation seemed to call for a higher level of intensity and engagement from everyone, but nobody was stressed about this death-dealing serpent entering their home.
The Hadza will share any and all material goods you ask for—precious and rare lighters, knives, sharpening stones, truly anything. I fantasized while in camp about showing up with no shirt—I would honestly bet that if a modern westerner showed up this way, a Hadza would be more than willing to give him their own shirts off their back. I didn’t test this theory, but I would be willing to put money on it. To top it off, the Hadza will have no such demeanor as “well, I guess he owes me now…” or anything of the sort. The man would give his shirt, and that would be the end of it. Nobody would hear about it again. He wouldn’t expect payment later, but he might ask for your knife later when he needs it—because it is simply expected. The Hadza don’t sweat small stuff like their clothing, their gear, or even their life-or-death tools, and are able to maintain an exceptionally peaceful existence because of their attitude.
4) Prioritize humanity
The Hadza are materially poor, poor in modern knowledge, poor in resources of all kinds, and poor at first glance in virtually any aspect one could imagine. Where they have put their riches is into social fabric, “where neither moth nor dust consume,” and into their tribe. They do not put resources into stacking wealth or knowledge or anything else, but instead prioritize their immediate interactions, their day-to-day living with their loved ones. From what I could tell, they prioritize humanity. This invisible wealth is the hoard of gold that the Hadza, understandably, do not want to trade for modern conveniences and a modern life. Hadza frequently return to the bush after attempting to assimilate to modern society through a conventional education—they miss the family and tribal dynamic, the sense of connection to one another. All the amazon orders, uber eats, instagram likes, youtube videos, and endless entertainment of modern living do not appeal to the Hadza, as they are completely entertained and content with one another. The Hadza are constantly interacting with one another, or alone with themselves in silence. In either case, they are prioritizing the humanity of themselves and other (through social interaction), or merely themselves (through silence, introspection, and connection with self). Hadza will recall the names of one-time visitors, seemingly unable to get a grasp on the idea that people would come just a single time and then go back to wherever they came from. They have a sense of deep, enduring, and multi-layered connection to other human beings that is lost in the west.
When we buy coffee, do we consider what the person behind the counter is going through? More often than not, such encounters are mechanical simulations of genuine socializing. One of the most striking features of my return back to the west was these retail encounters at restaurants, gas stations, coffee shops, and virtually anywhere else—everyeone is operating on autopilot, with about 5% investment in each social interaction. The Hadza seemingly are 100% present in every socializing situation, and there is an indescribable sense of being able to feel it when in their presence.
Perhaps what is most telling, is how orphans are treated and how they behave. There is no behavioral problem, there are no problem children, the Hadza need no institutions to house and care for their disadvantaged members. Each person is a member of the tribe, not just a nuclear family. The sense of belonging, and sense of purpose handed to each individual frankly exceeds any that I have personally felt in modern society. Even when someone is orphaned, their sense of belonging to the tribe and of social ties to everyone in the tribe is so strong, that not a lot changes. Their role in the society is the same, they are valued the same way, and other relatives sometimes take the place of their parents. It is a seamless integration in extreme contrast to how the disadvantaged of our own society are treated and “integrated.”
The Hadza, evident by their actions rather than any articulated beliefs, make it abundantly clear that they value each individual’s humanity more than anything else. They are unwilling to invest their time into material goods, into foodstores, into brick&mortar houses, or virtually any of the other fixtures that we couldn’t live without in modern society. What they are willing to deeply invest in is the humanity of themselves and others. They will give their full and overwhelming attention to that.
5) Laugh & joke (like, all the time)
Does anyone laugh more? The Hadza men are often quiet, seemingly in their own worlds. The youth however, are abundantly chipper and always going back and forth about whatever topic of conversation is at hand (most often, hunting—sometimes women). The Hadza will laugh at things without abandon. There is no sense of requiring composure—it is almost as if laughter is a gift to be had. If laughter visits you, let it rip!
The Hadza were constantly laughing and joking, and unfortunately my Hadzane is non-existent (although I was able to converse somewhat in broken Kiswahili). I recall one of the better hunters and young men of the tribe, Chomoa, ask me how much my phone cost. I told him, and they nodded in silent contemplation. In the hanging silence, I added….”Unataka?” Do you want it?
I enjoyed a very brief career as a comedian as Chomoa and his peers erupted in laughter. When one of them heard another laughing, they’d start laughing harder. When there were a few laughing really hard, it seemed the intensity of the laughter would just keep going. It is almost as if the Hadza seize laughter, like, “ooh, someone else is laughing, this is my chance to laugh!” Although mildly humorous, it isn’t that funny of a notion to offer my phone, but the Hadza thought this was the most absolute ridiculous and most hilarious thing I could have said, and they took advantage of the moment. They all laughed and laughed and kept laughing until I indicated that I was being sarcastic—I’m not sure if they have a notion of sarcasm but they seemed to understand anyway.
I have recordings of our night-time fires too, of the younger men (ages roughly 12-18) just giggling and laughing in the dark. What are they talking and joking about? I have no idea, but the sound of the clicking and laughter is one of the most peaceful and enjoyable recordings I have to listen to—just a merry band of humans, enjoying and fully expressing their humanity. So beautiful, and certainly a contributing factor to why they are so loose, carefree, and enjoy their lives to the degree that they do.
Conclusions & takeaways
The Hadza are some of the happiest people in the world, and are essentially void of psychiatric disorders, disgruntled individuals, anxiety, depression, etc. in spite of living significantly below poverty line
The Hadza have several fundamental beliefs that likely bolster their sense of not needing or using anxiety, such as “I am capable of enduring whatever is in front of me,” and “Nature has provided and will provide everything I need.”
While they can become excited, and intensity of energy and emotions can climb high, anxiety is always at level 0. Hadza don’t sweat much, and play virtually every situation light and loose—everything will be fine.
While I did not hear the Hadza articulate any such belief, I find that they make it clear through their actions: the Hadza prioritize humanity over everything. They appreciate and value humanity, and anything/everything could and should be sacrificed for such humanity. Material goods, equipment, etc.—everything is merely a means to an end, to enhance and brighten their own humanity. The Faustian bargain of “selling of souls” for fill-in-the-blank that is so prevalent in modern western society is virtually non-exsitent among the Hadza, as they see humanity as obviously more valuable than anything that could be traded for.
Hadza take any excuse to laugh or joke—they are joking about everything, laughing at things that are marginally funny, laughing at each other’s laughter—if you can squeeze in a laugh or joke, do so and brighten up your (and my) world!