We’ve all been handed the same manual. It’s tucked neatly into a folder labeled “The Good Person.” Inside, the instructions are clear: Be palatable. Don’t be too loud. Don’t be too angry. Make sure everyone else is comfortable, even if you’re suffocating.
But here’s the gritty truth: Being “polite” is often just a slow-acting poison.
The Cost of Palatability
When you spend your life filtering your thoughts through a “is this okay to say?” lens, you lose the ability to taste your own life. Social stigma tells us that if we show the raw, unedited, “juicy” parts of our souls, we’ll be cast out. So we stay in the lines. we keep the folders organized. We play the part.
But what about the rage? What about the hunger? What about the parts of you that don’t fit into a suburban dinner party or a corporate “wellness” meeting? Those are the parts where your power lives. By trying to be a “good person” according to society’s conditioning, you’re murdering the real person inside.
Burning the Manual
I’m interested in what happens when you stop being “good” and start being honest. My writing is for the people who are tired of the performance. It’s for those who are ready to let the folders spill onto the floor and walk over them on the way out the door.
Reclaiming your life from conditioning isn’t a graceful transition; it’s a break-in. You’re stealing your own soul back from the people who told you how to use it. It’s time to stop being palatable and start being powerful.