The Noise of Wellness

Everything you do is wrong and insufficient.

If you really pay attention to the rhetoric around us right now, that’s what they want us to believe.

Your sleeping habits are wrong.

Your eating habits are wrong.

The way you breathe is absolutely horrible and causing you distress.

Even things out of your control, like your dreams, are wrong and should be optimized.

Your finances.

The wrinkles on your forehead.

Your bowel movements.

Your feelings.

Your muscle mass.

All of it, a clear sign of all the things that are wrong with the way you think, eat, sleep, love, parent, and, of course, because your vibration is so low, you don’t know how to manifest it all.

In sum—if you’re feeling bad in any aspect of your life, it’s your own fault and wrongdoing. If you are not manifesting your better life, then what are you even doing? Your efforts are insufficient because there’s always something that can be optimized, there’s always a product, a course, a supplement, a technique that will correct all of the things that are wrong with you and finally help you reach your “better version”.

Based on what I see on social media and in the ads around me, people are treating themselves less like human beings, and more like machines.

That science advances and makes us more knowledgeable about how our bodies work is just amazing! Of course, there are always things we can do better so we can live as peaceful and joyful a life as possible and having access to this knowledge is important and social media could fulfil an important role in sharing such information. Instead, it’s being used for fearmongering and maybe, advocating for a superior race. Because those that may be sick, living with a disability or a chronic disease are increasingly left out or looked down upon. You should never fall ill, and if you do, you really must evaluate yourself and all the bad decisions you’ve made. Heaven forbid you burden anyone with your illness, your need for rest, your humanity. God forbid you lose your toned muscles, your perfect microbiome, your aligned chakras, your followers…

The messages we’re receiving are no longer about health. They’re about optimization, perfection, and exclusion. They’re not far from eugenics — and it’s time we call it out. In case you don’t know, eugenics was the foundation of national-socialist politics. We’re not only talking about better versions of ourselves. We are talking about a superior race: never sick, pleasing to the eye, always productive, never stressed out, young, able-bodied, slender, happy, white…

This obsession is turning us into control freaks — good only at self-hate, self-blame, and judging others’ bodies, choices, and lifestyles.

No wonder we live in a stressed-out society. The more we measure without reflection, the more we believe we’re failing at life.

I don’t think being human, or the human predicament, is something to overcome, I do, however, believe that when we look deeper, when we critically examine the society we live in, we start to see what’s actually making us feel bad about ourselves. We start to notice how judgment arises, how we blame others, and how all of this keeps us stuck in systems that benefit no one.

I am not a “love and light” only person who believes that positive thoughts and prayers alone will move society forward.

These essays, that I’ll be publishing somewhat regularly, are not a sales pitch.

They are offerings, written with the intention to shed a light on some of the things that may be difficult for us as humans, how we might be making things harder than they need to be, and maybe inspire you to find refuge in simpler things. They are a wish to contribute to making sense of the extreme noise and pollution out there.

I’m all for stillness and silence, but we won’t be able to live in it until we identify, recognize, and name the noise around us.

I’m here for it.