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The Shutdown Dealer

The mind offers instant relief at the cost of freedom. Don’t take the deal.

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Relief Avoidance Agency

Metaphorical Narrative

In a back alley, a dealer flashes a pill. “Take this,” he says, “you’ll feel better instantly.”

You swallow the relief. For a moment, the pressure lifts. But soon, the cost hits: numbness, shutdown, lost agency. The dealer grins. You keep coming back.

Until the day you spit the pill into the dirt and walk away — shaky, but free.

Core Insight

The mind sells shutdown as relief — scroll, drink, avoid, collapse. But the price is your freedom. Real strength is refusing the shortcut and feeling the raw truth without numbing it.

Saturday Experiment

  1. Notice when you crave quick relief today.
  2. Ask: What’s the cost?
  3. Try sitting with the urge instead of buying from the dealer.

Sunday Reflection

  • What shutdowns do you take as relief?
  • How does it feel to refuse them?
  • What grows in you when you stay awake?