When Serenity Turns Into Avoidance

-
People often say that choosing happiness and staying serene no matter what is happening around you is a sign of strength. There is truth in that. Calm is powerful. Grounding is important. But at some point this mindset stops being healthy and starts becoming avoidance.

Acceptance is not the problem.
Inner peace is not the problem.
The problem begins when peace replaces honesty.

There is a huge difference between acknowledging what is really happening and choosing your response, and pretending everything is fine as long as you feel fine. Too much of modern self-help teaches the second option. It sells comfort by encouraging people to look away from the truth.

This culture tells you to regulate your feelings instead of understanding them. It teaches people to silence emotions that actually carry important information.

Anger tells you that something is unfair.
Fear warns you when something is not safe.
Sadness shows that you still care and that your heart is connected to others.

When we numb these emotions, we disconnect from community. We shrink into ourselves. Individualism turns into isolation. People are encouraged to focus on their inner world while their community is struggling right beside them.

It has never been about us and them.
It has always been about us and the system that prefers people quiet, calm, and compliant.

Real leadership requires seeing clearly. It requires being grounded and honest. It requires choosing integrity instead of denial.

We are meant to feel.
We are meant to care.
We are meant to stand with each other.

Shawn Raven
Never Give Up

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Applied Pedagogy: How the AHRC Directive Revealed Systemic Refusal

-
A living case study by Shawn Raven This is the first public analysis applying my book’s framework to a real conflict with a Canadian institution. What I teach is not theory. It is lived law. It is applied pedagogy. It is survival turned into methodology. This is what it looks like in practice. --- The Context I submitted a human rights complaint. I cited my rights under the Charter, UNDRIP, TRC, and multiple sections of human rights legislation. I identified disability barriers, Indigenous rights, and systemic discrimination. Their response: A directive accusing my communication of being “rude,” “aggressive,” or “inappropriate.” The usual coded language used against autistic, Indigenous, trauma-surviving people who assert their rights clearly and without apology. This is what systems do when you step outside their preferred communication frame. They do not rebut the law. They attack tone. They pivot from substance to discipline. It is refusal disguised as “procedure.” This is the exact...
Read more

About Shawn Raven

-
Image
I am Shawn Raven,   I am a writer, storyteller, and fire-carrier. My work is rooted in truth, healing, and the remembering of what it means to be fully human. I write about the world we have inherited. I write about the world we have forgotten. And I write about the world we are becoming. My voice comes from lived experience;  trauma, survival, identity, leadership, and the long path home to myself. My writing blends Indigenous worldview, philosophy, and fire: the kind that burns away illusion and awakens something real in the reader. This space, I AM THE FIRE, is where I share reflections, teachings, and pieces of my journey. It is where I speak on humanity, decolonization, culture, spirit, and the sacred connection to the Earth that modern society has tried to erase. If my words reach you, I hope they remind you of something older than fear. Something deeper than shame. Something true. We are already enough. We already belong. And it is time for all of us t...
Read more

They Ticketed Her for Existing

-
Image
They Ticketed Her for Existing Yesterday, I witnessed something that stayed with me long after I left the train station. A woman who was clearly unhoused was standing quietly at the platform. She was not bothering anyone. She was not causing a disturbance. She was simply trying to exist. Law enforcement approached her. And they ticketed her. A fine she cannot pay. A punishment for being poor. A system that refuses to see the truth of her situation. She needs support, not a citation. I took a photo without showing her face, because she deserves dignity and privacy. She is a human being, not an object for public spectacle. But what happened to her cannot be ignored. Moments like this happen every day in our cities, and we have grown far too used to seeing them. This is not an isolated event. It is part of a pattern that is built into policy and procedure. It is often framed as public safety, yet it targets the most vulnerable people and adds more pain to lives already filled with struggl...
Read more