The Quiet Nature of Harm
There are forms of harm that make no noise.
The normalization of harm does not arrive suddenly: it does not interrupt the day, nor does it force us to stop. Instead, it shows up in those small, everyday discomforts we gradually learn to call “normal.”
This is precisely how the normalization of harm takes place.
When Discomfort Becomes Familiar
Constant fatigue.
Bloating after eating.
Heaviness, acidity, the need for “something sweet” just to keep going.
These experiences are not mysterious.
On the contrary, they are clear signals.
Yet when many people experience them, they stop registering as a problem.
And so, harm becomes normal.
Ignoring What the Body Says
We eat and feel unwell, but we say, “It happens.”
We sleep little and poorly, and we say, “That’s life.”
The body sends signals; however, we learn to ignore them—because ignoring is easier than listening.
This is not resilience.
Rather, it is acclimation.
How Normalization Takes Root
The normalization of harm does not arise from bad intentions.
Instead, it grows out of habit, haste, and the belief that “everyone does it.”
Once a behavior is widely shared, we no longer question it.
Food is no exception.
Choosing What Is Convenient, Not What Nourishes
We have learned to choose based on what is fast, affordable, and socially accepted.
Not on what truly nourishes.
Not on what allows us to feel well over time.
As a result, the body becomes something to manage, not something to respect.
Something to silence, not something to listen to.
A System That Reverses Value
The problem is not those who eat “poorly.”
Rather, the problem is a system that makes what wears us down normal
and treats what heals us as exceptional.
It is a system in which taking care of oneself seems excessive,
while feeling slightly unwell all the time has become the rule.
The Body as an Honest Measure
And yet, the body is honest.
It does not lie.
It does not operate according to social habits.
When a food is good and healthy, the body recognizes it.
When it is not, sooner or later, the body speaks up.
Value, Not Cost
That is why what is good and healthy is not expensive.
It is valuable.
Like everything that prevents rather than repairs.
Like everything that works for us, not against us.
Returning to Care
The normalization of harm does not happen in a single day.
Likewise, we do not step out of this logic through extreme gestures or sudden revolutions.
We step out of it by learning to listen to ourselves again.
By making one choice at a time.
By putting food—and the body—back in their rightful place:
not as a luxury, but as a daily act of care.
A Different Starting Point
Because feeling well should not be an exception.
It should be the starting point.
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