Punishing Health

Random thoughts while driving my kids to school:

Freedom - true personal freedom to be your self regardless of the social pressures to be otherwise - is perhaps the most dangerous and offensive attribute of all. It’s a clear signal to those in charge you were not for sale and that you are not under their control.

When an environment is ruled by shame, punishment will be the reward for people who freely offer their gifts.

In these environments, a person honestly and freely offering their critique, transparency, or giftedness is an assault to the quiet control of those manipulate the environment by invisible shame.

Anyone who is free and honest and direct - basically all the marks of healthy human - will be punished, shamed and silenced for their transparent generosity.

These generous “transgressions” will be remembered and brought up on a regular basis to shame the freedom right out of the person and keep them off balance.

All of this will be done with smiles and jokes and silence which will make it even more damaging.