Jon Levy - The 2 AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure

To Hanna & Benjamin Levy

I ask the indulgence of the adventurers who may read this book for dedicating it to two people who mostly stay at home.

I have a serious reason:

They are my parents. They encouraged me as a young boy to live by my own rules and pursue what inspired me. They showed me what it was to risk, to love, and to explore the world even when I was scared to leave home and had no money to do it with.

I have another reason:

They have dared more than any two people I have ever met. They thrust themselves into the unknowns of life and explored the world with no safety net.

I have a third reason:

They loved me no matter how difficult I was and what trouble I caused. Although they now live a quiet life, they inspired the lessons of this book.

If all these reasons are not enough, I will dedicate this book to the adventurers who they were. All of us dream of adventure in our youth, although few of us embrace it as we grow up.

And so I correct my dedication:

To Hanna & Benjamin Levy

When They Were Young

I want to thank Antoine de Saint-Exupry for creating the words to help me express my appreciation. The words never quite seem enough but hopefully people will hear what can never be captured in language.

You are going to have a lot of fun reading this book and learning how easy it is to live a more adventurous life. You will be inspired to have new experiences and participate in outlandish activities. The good news is that most of the adventures you want to have will be great. The bad news is that some of the ideas you come up with will be disastrously terrible.

I know this from experience, having come up with some really awful ideas; in fact, you will read about some of the stupider ones. Most of the time, the bad ones are weeded out, but every so often one gets through the inspection process.

It goes without saying that any risks you choose to take and all of the results are yours and yours alone. They will be a source of pride and embarrassment, and will make phenomenal stories. Just make sure not to do anything too stupid since it can have a serious impact on your life and the people you engage with. If we ever meet or write to each other, I would hope to only hear wild tales of your great successes and embarrassing failures.

Reading this book may result in adventures that include laughing to the point of tears, nonsensical conversations, toasting with strangers, vague memories of someone saying You know what would be a great idea... only to realize, judging by the court summons you find in your pocket in the morning, it really wasnt a good idea, and the odd sense that you may need to get a marriage annulled. Please consult your doctor, lawyer, or priest/rabbi/imam to make sure reading The 2 AM Principle is suitable for you.

All These Stories Are True

The stories in this book are all true and accurate to the best of my memory. For years I have made a habit of documenting my adventures, and that, combined with interviewing other participants, is what led to the stories you will read in the pages that follow. When writing this book, I had to make a few difficult choices between being 100 percent accurate and protecting the people you will read about.

Let me reiterate that, in no uncertain terms, all of the stories I share are true. No parts are made-up, but noncritical details may have been changed (such as names, dates and times, locations, etc.). I willingly share these stories knowing that they could affect the way people view me, but I do not wish to bring unwarranted attention to my friends and travel companions. Many of them are very private people or have professional careers for which the outlandish tomfoolery, shenanigans, and ballyhoo that we participated in would be frowned upon.

The only other changes that were made were for the purpose of sharing the stories succinctly. There may be a handful of stories in which the timeline was changed slightly (e.g., I skipped over a stop during the course of a night) so as not to bog down the stories with too many details. Other than that, every story occurred just as it was written. This means every injury, embarrassment, insane invitation, and outrageous conversation was real.

So enjoy my adventures and try not to judge me too muchbut if you do, thats fine. Please adventure responsibly.

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I HAD TAKEN THE SAFEST POSITION I could. I was in the front row near the gate, crouched against the sandy floor, my hands protecting my head.

When the gate opened I saw it running at me and I immediately knew I was in trouble. This bull was supposed to enter the stadium by jumping over my head, like the last one, but I wasnt that lucky. It missed its jump.

I felt a sudden sharp pain as its hoof landed on my back, and then nothing but numbness. The screams and cheers of thousands of spectators disappeared, and all I could hear was what sounded like my ribs cracking from the weight of this angry beast. I thought my life was supposed to pass before my eyes in a situation like this, but instead time stopped and the outside world was gone. Was I paralyzed? My brain ordered my limbs to move, but nothing happened.

I had come to the running of the bulls to experience life. Being chased by the bulls into the stadium was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life, but now inside these walls, as the bulls were let in to go toe-to-toe with the runners, I realized this might be the end of it.

I eventually managed to stand up, just barely. As the feeling slowly returned to my body, I could clearly tell my left side had a serious issue, but between the commotion and adrenaline, I couldnt tell what. With the little strength I could muster, I raised my right hand into the air and yelled for help. Mdico , mdico , mdico! No one was coming to my rescue.

As fate would have it, the 1,500-pound beast that had just hit me wasnt nearly as gentle with my fellow thrill seekers, and in the confusion, all anyone could do to help was drag unconscious and bleeding bodies out of the way.

I knew I had to get somewhere safe before the bull came around for another pass. Someone ran by me and pointed to the edge of the arena where two participants were carrying an unconscious man out for medical attention. I followed them into a room that was being used for triage.

When I entered, a nurse directed me to a bench and started asking questions. The throbbing pain on the top left of my back was growing, making it difficult to pay attention. That coupled with my poor Spanish skills meant I barely understood her, and I probably convinced her I had been hit in the head. As the pain began to overwhelm me, I lost the ability to speak, and I was clearly losing consciousness. All I could do was ask myself, What was I thinking?

My friends would say Ive developed a knack for getting myself into interesting situations. Actually, it is more like an obsession, born from the desire to refute cultural myths propagated across literature, movies, and TV shows. It may be that when these shared myths were created, the intention was to inspire us to be heroes, to embody values and traits that are considered noble, and to aspire to be better versions of ourselves (more selfless, generous, and compassionate). Unfortunately, over the centuries, as the stories and myths have changed, they have become so aspirational that there is no chance of us living up to their ideals. Instead these great stories have convinced us that an adventurous life is the privilege of merely a handful of personalities or characters who are so ingrained in our cultural mythology they have become clich.