<\/p>\n
Last Tuesday, while standing in my kitchen wearing three-day-old sweatpants and eating cold pizza directly from the fridge at 3 AM, I had an existential revelation: I should<\/em><\/span>\u00a0be sleeping. I should<\/em><\/span>\u00a0eat healthier. I should<\/em><\/span> have finished my taxes, called my mother, and probably should<\/em><\/span> stop using my gym membership exclusively as an expensive way to feel guilty every time I drive past the building. And in that moment, surrounded by the wreckage of all my shoulds<\/em><\/span>, I realized I’d discovered the single most toxic word in the human language \u2013 the verbal cyanide we willingly swallow every day while wondering why we feel paralyzed<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ok, all the above is imagined but I do reckon we have crossed these paths.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some more imagination- this time see this as the opening sequence of a Hollywood flick- in quick inter cuts you watch a 43-year-old executive in a $3,000 suit nearly burst into tears because he “should” have made partner by now. Two tables over, a woman downed her third martini while texting excuses to the dating app match she “should” be meeting. Meanwhile, the bartender\u2014with $120,000 in student debt for a philosophy degree\u2014muttered about how he “should” be using his education. Three strangers, same prison, identical jailer: a single tyrannical word that’s quietly orchestrating the mass paralysis of human potential. Welcome to the Should Pandemic, where dreams go to die in real time<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should <\/em><\/span>is the most seductive,\u00a0deceptive, and useless word in the English language. It\u2019s corporate jargon for\u00a0let\u2019s pretend we\u2019ll do something<\/span><\/em>. It\u2019s personal denial dressed as intention<\/em><\/span>. And it\u2019s why most people spend their lives\u00a0waiting for permission to exist<\/em><\/span>. <\/strong>Let\u2019s burn this word to the ground.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Relationship Should-Spiral<\/em><\/span> Nothing kills romance faster than should<\/em><\/span>. You should text back immediately. Should remember their mother’s birthday. Should express emotions exactly like they do. When Prince Harry<\/em><\/span> and Meghan<\/em><\/span> were busy thinking about what they should<\/em><\/span>\u00a0do as royals versus what they actually wanted to do, they ended up in a Netflix<\/em><\/span> documentary explaining why they’re now selling scented candles instead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Instagram Should-Festival<\/em><\/span> Social media isn’t just a platform; it’s a should-generating machine<\/em><\/span>. That influencer’s immaculate kitchen suggests you should redecorate. Their vacation photos imply you should travel more. Their relationship posts indicate you should be more romantic. Their workout videos confirm you should exercise harder. Meanwhile, actual influencers are taking 47 shots to get one “candid” photo, filtering relentlessly, and still feeling they should look better. The should factory runs 24\/7<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Parental Should-Tsunami<\/em><\/span> No human experiences more shoulds per second than a new parent. You should breastfeed exclusively (but not too long). Should sleep train (but not too early). Should stimulate brain development (but not over schedule). Should return to work (but not too soon). Should introduce diverse foods (but avoid allergens). The result is a generation of parents paralyzed in Target<\/em><\/span> and Carrefour<\/em><\/span> aisles, staring blankly at organic baby food options while questioning every life decision. Meanwhile, our grandparents raised children on cigarette smoke and lawn darts, and somehow civilization continued.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ‘Should’ Trap: A Masterclass in Procrastination<\/em><\/span>– Should<\/em><\/span> is the linguistic equivalent of a participation trophy. It makes you feel like you\u2019ve accomplished something just by acknowledging it exists. \u201cI should exercise\u201d feels like a step toward fitness, even if you\u2019re lying on the couch eating chips. \u201cI should save money\u201d feels financially responsible, even as you click \u201cBuy Now\u201d on that third pair of sneakers you don\u2019t need. \u00a0But here\u2019s the kicker: should<\/em><\/span>\u00a0doesn\u2019t just nudge you toward inaction\u2014it thrives on it<\/em><\/span>. It\u2019s the guilt-tripping parent, the passive-aggressive friend, and the overbearing boss all rolled into one. And the worst part? It\u2019s so damn sneaky.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should<\/em><\/span> is the ultimate con artist. It masquerades as responsibility, but it\u2019s really just guilt in a three-piece suit. Every time you say \u201cI should,\u201d you\u2019re not committing to action\u2014you\u2019re confessing to failure. The Should Epidemic in effect is A Pandemic of Procrastination<\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Welcome to the \u2018Church of Should.\u2019<\/em><\/span> – Where sermons are delivered in boardrooms, where dreams die in meeting minutes, and where ambition rots in the graveyard of hesitation. Should<\/em><\/span> is the universal language of self-sabotage<\/em><\/span>. It\u2019s the voice in your head that says, \u201cYou\u2019re not good enough,\u201d and then pats itself on the back for being \u201chonest.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Should vs. Could Smackdown<\/em><\/span>– Here\u2019s where it gets interesting. Replace should<\/em><\/span> with could<\/em><\/span>, and suddenly, the world opens up. Should<\/em><\/span> is a judgment; could<\/em><\/span> is an option. Should<\/em><\/span> is a scolding; could<\/em> <\/span>is an invitation.\u00a0 Should is the assisted suicide of human potential<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>is that slick-talking, suit-wearing corporate imposter that\u00a0sounds ambitious but gets nothing done<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong>\u00a0It masquerades as intent, but all it really does is create\u00a0a waiting room for action. <\/em><\/span>And the worst part? We\u00a0buy into it<\/em><\/span>, letting it shape our choices, paralyze our decisions, and keep us stuck in\u00a0an endless loop of “maybe later.” <\/em><\/span>So, let\u2019s call should<\/em><\/span> out for what it really is\u2014<\/strong>an elegant excuse for inaction.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Silicon Valley Should Slaughterhouse<\/em><\/span> Tech bros have elevated should<\/em><\/span> to an art form. You should hustle 24\/7. Should disrupt industries. Should network constantly. Should practice radical candor. Should optimize sleep. Should take cold plunges. Should micro dose psychedelics. The result? The highest burnout, divorce, and suicide ideation rates of any industry, all while preaching work-life balance<\/em><\/span>\u00a0in company mission statements. Y Combinator’s Paul Graham<\/em><\/span> famously advised start with something embarrassingly small<\/em><\/span>, but modern founders think they should<\/em><\/span> start with something impressively massive\u2014which is why most startups fail before they begin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Wellness Should Slaughter <\/em><\/span>The modern wellness industry isn’t selling health; it’s trafficking in industrial-grade shoulds<\/em><\/span>. You should intermittent fast. Should avoid gluten. Should take 47 supplements. Should track sleep. Should meditate. Should Journal. Should dry brush. Should infrared sauna. The human body survived millennia of famine, predators, and plagues, but apparently now needs a 17-step morning routine to function. Meanwhile, the people selling these wellness shoulds are often one nervous breakdown away from hospitalization. The cruel paradox: nothing undermines wellness like obsessing about wellness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Creative Should Annihilation-<\/em><\/span>\u00a0Nothing kills creativity faster than shoulding all over it. You should find your passion. Should monetize your hobby. Should build your personal brand. Should grow your platform. Should post consistently. Should collaborate strategically. The result? People who loved creating now hate the thing they once loved. Mozart<\/em><\/span> never worried about his Instagram strategy. Picasso<\/em> <\/span>didn’t fret about his personal brand. Van Gogh<\/em><\/span> sold exactly one painting while alive but kept painting anyway. True creativity exists in the absence of should<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Existential Should Carnage<\/em><\/span> – The deadliest shoulds are the existential ones. You should know your purpose. Should make an impact. Should leave a legacy. Should find meaning. Should be happy. These cosmic shoulds create the ultimate paralysis\u2014the inability to simply exist without justification. Ancient philosophers spent lifetimes contemplating these questions without answers, but modern humans think they should solve existence between Zoom<\/em> <\/span>calls. The brutal truth? The universe doesn’t care what you should do. The planet will eventually be consumed by the sun. All human achievement will be forgotten. And that’s not depressing\u2014it’s liberating. Nothing matters, which means you get to decide what matters to you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let’s cut the bullshit: should isn’t a word; it’s a socially acceptable form of self-flagellation<\/em><\/span>. It’s expectation dipped in shame, marinated in comparison, and garnished with regret<\/em><\/span>. Every time you say “I should,” you’re essentially saying, “I’m currently inadequate and failing at yet another thing.” And that, dear reader, is a steaming pile of psychological excrement. The most successful people aren’t those who do everything they should\u2014they’re the ones who ruthlessly eliminate “should” from their vocabulary and replace it with “will,” “won’t,” or “who gives a flying fuck what anyone thinks I should do.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So the next time someone tells you what you should do\u2014including that dictator in your head\u2014try responding with the only appropriate answer: “Should? Should is dead. And I killed it.” Then go do whatever you damn well please.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last Tuesday, while standing in my kitchen wearing three-day-old sweatpants and eating cold pizza directly from the fridge at 3 AM, I had an existential revelation: I should\u00a0be sleeping. I should\u00a0eat healthier. I should have finished my taxes, called my mother, and probably should stop using my gym membership exclusively as an expensive way … Continue reading “Are you Suffering from the “Should” Epidemic ?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1980"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1981,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980\/revisions\/1981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sureshdinakaran.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}