Denouncing Cancel Culture,
For Your Health’s Sake
In today’s society it is becoming increasingly difficult to openly speak our minds, even among family and friends. This has become especially prominent throughout the pandemic.
More and more people are getting canceled on social media, banned from specific platforms and even losing their jobs and careers, merely because they chose to speak up in ways that may not fit into the current and “popular” narrative.
This has many of us conflicted, scared to speak our minds. The fear of getting ostracized is ever present. The very real threat of “just keep quiet, don’t question what’s going on, keep in line, or else…” is at the forefront of today’s social normalcy.
As a result, cancel culture is affecting us on a much deeper level than many of us may be aware of.
It starts on social media and/or mainstream media with public figures typically, then hits closer to home with friends or co-workers who may get their social accounts flagged or deleted for sharing information about politics – again, with an opinion that differs from the public narrative. This then becomes much more “real” as it spreads into our minds and psyches, limiting our very essence as expressive and curious beings.
We now self-censor out of fear of being canceled.
Everyday conversations and interactions have become more commonly fragile as surface exchanges of small talk to avoid the possibility of saying something “wrong” and offending people to the point of being “canceled.”
This is affecting not only how we speak and what we talk about, but also how we think and feel.
We limit ourselves because of this fear. We are censoring ourselves.
Keeping yourself quiet when your inner-voice has real questions is restraint. Not speaking when you think or feel something is wrong is an unhealthy behavior. This is what people do when they lack confidence, inner strength, and self-esteem.
Is this what we deserve, a culture that silences us through fear?
Neglecting your values and your better judgment because you don’t want to offend, because of your fear of being judged and cast out of society. Losing your job, losing your friends, losing your family. This is not the freedom that we were taught to believe in. It is not within the belief system of our great leaders throughout history. It’s quite the opposite.
By submitting to this state of cancel culture, you’re losing a lot and it’s questionable if you’re winning anything at all for it in return. By playing it “safe,” you’re censoring your life out of fear and losing yourself in the process. You’re ultimately canceling yourself – your dreams, your values, who you really are.
When people neglect their inner voice for a prolonged amount of time, this is how the spirit dies. When you don’t allow your passion and power to live and thrive, you slowly break until you’re completely broken. This is a slow death for many, and cancel culture is creating an environment where this is “normal.”
But it shouldn’t be. It’s not normal, and it is completely unhealthy.
The longer you keep yourself quiet and comply with cancel culture, the less respect you’ll have for yourself. The less self-esteem you’ll have and you’ll be on an inevitable path to depression and anxiety. A life without passion and purpose. A life without power.
On the other side of this, if you do choose to honor your truth, to speak up when you see something wrong, or to share important information that could help others, even if it goes against the public narrative – this is a form of self-respect. This is you trusting your inner voice, your instincts that innately “know,” regardless of any potential backlash from the cancel culture mob.
It may be uncomfortable and challenging to overcome these fundamental fears, but this climate of getting ‘canceled’ has been programmed into us by our society for some time and is now an omnipresent beast, growing bigger each time we feed it with our fear and compliance. Before we completely submit and allow this to become our new truth, we must be willing to honor our inner voice and wisdom, and have the courage to confront it, even at its most uncomfortable moments.
With the right tools, you will be able to stay in your truth, connect to your passion and overcome your fears through individual strength and purpose.
My introductory e-book “Lose Your Story, Live Your Life” will give you some valuable tips on how to embrace this path forward. Your path is your power and with power comes the responsibility to share what you value. Share your truth, share your wisdom, share your love with those you love, unwavering and unfiltered with zero regard for the self-censorship of cancel culture.