Being Human Is Already Enough

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Humans carry a shame we were never meant to hold.

Somewhere along the way, we were taught that our worth depends on achievement. That we must earn our place in this world. That life only matters if we impress others, accomplish something extraordinary, or meet someone else’s definition of success.

But being born is already the birthright to being alive.
You do not need permission to exist.
You do not need a reason to deserve breath.

Does a bird ask why it was born?
Does a wolf question its purpose?
Does a bear feel unworthy for not achieving greatness?

Life simply lives.
And in living, it is already enough.

Before the world was reshaped by greed, hierarchy, and conquest, Indigenous cultures around the world understood this truth deeply. Value was not measured in titles, money, productivity, or perfection. Value came from being human, being connected, being part of the land and the circle of life.

A poet was honored.
A carver was honored.
A hunter, a healer, a knowledge keeper, an elder, a farmer — all honored.

Not because they were “successful,”
but because their existence mattered.

We forget this now.
We chase performance, validation, and comparison.
We measure worth through standards that have nothing to do with being alive or being human.

But the soul remembers something older.
Something true.

Your existence is not a performance.
Your value is not a metric.
You are already enough.

Remembering this changes everything.
It softens the pressure.
It brings you back to yourself.
It reminds you that being alive — fully, honestly, authentically — is the greatest accomplishment there is.

I am choosing to live with this commitment.
To return to what our ancestors knew.
To walk in a way that honors my humanity and the humanity of all beings.

If you needed this reminder today, let it land:

You do not need to earn your right to be here.
You already belong.
You are already enough.

— Shawn Raven

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