Your Triggers Are Your Responsibility
It is not the world’s obligation to tiptoe around you.
I’d like to take this opportunity to further analyse a quote used by an ingenious business owner at his store. I will be quick and to the point.
In today’s world, feelings reign supreme. The modern culture encourages fragility over resilience, teaching people that their emotions should be protected at all costs—even if it means forcing society to walk on eggshells around them. But the hard truth is this:
Your triggers are your responsibility. It is not the world’s obligation to tiptoe around you.
At some point, we all must grow beyond an infant state, take responsibility for our own emotional reactions, and stop expecting the world to rearrange itself to accommodate our personal baggage.
From Infant Mindset to Adult Responsibility
As babies, we rely entirely on others to regulate our emotions. When we cry, someone comes to soothe us. When we’re hungry, someone feeds us. When we’re scared, someone reassures us. But as we grow, we learn that the world does not exist to cater to our every emotional need.
At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.
Yet today, many adults remain trapped in an infantile state, demanding that the world around them adapt to their sensitivities rather than taking charge of their own emotional well-being. Instead of building resilience, they expect others to change their behaviour, words, and even beliefs to ensure they never feel discomfort.
But life doesn’t work that way. The real world is not your personal therapist.
The State of the World: A Culture of Fragility
We now live in a society where:
People demand "trigger warnings" before even the most basic discussions.
Open debate is stifled because someone might feel offended.
Even historical facts are being reframed or erased to avoid emotional discomfort.
Universities—once places of intellectual challenge—now create “safe spaces” to shield students from ideas they dislike.
The phrase “I’m offended” is used as a conversation-stopper, as if someone’s feelings alone are enough to shut down discussion.
This culture of fragility is leading to mental weakness, entitlement, and emotional immaturity on a massive scale. Instead of adapting to reality, people demand that reality change to suit them.
The Flower Children: When “Love and Peace” Became an Excuse
As author Sean Kelly eloquently commented to my initial noted, with a “sorry flower children” … The Flower Child movement of the 1960s preached peace, love, and acceptance. While it had its merits, it also laid the groundwork for today’s culture of avoidance.
Many of its followers believed that the key to happiness was escaping conflict and discomfort—whether through drugs, spirituality, or simply rejecting any harsh realities of life. Instead of facing their struggles, many avoided them entirely.
This avoidance has evolved into modern emotional fragility, where people believe that if something upsets them, it must be the world’s fault—not theirs. They insist that others change, rather than learning to manage their own reactions.
Owning Your Baggage: The Path to Strength
The only way to truly grow as a person is to take ownership of your own triggers, emotions, and reactions.
Here’s a very simple how list:
Acknowledge Your Triggers, But Don’t Make Them Others’ Problem – If something bothers you, recognize it, but don’t demand that everyone else adjust their behaviour to protect you.
Build Emotional Resilience – Life is full of challenges, disagreements, and uncomfortable truths. Instead of avoiding them, face them head-on and grow stronger.
Differentiate Between Harm and Discomfort – Being offended or uncomfortable is not the same as being harmed. Learning this difference is key to maturity.
Stop Seeking External Validation – The world is not responsible for making you feel good. If you rely on others to adjust their behaviour just to keep you happy, you will forever be at their mercy.
Engage With the World as It Is, Not as You Want It to Be – Instead of expecting reality to change for you, learn to navigate it as it exists. This is the foundation of personal power.
Final Thought: The World Owes You Nothing
The world is not responsible for making you feel safe, comfortable, or unchallenged.
Your triggers are yours to manage, and the sooner you take ownership of them, the stronger and more capable you will become.
Instead of expecting others to bend to your sensitivities, build the inner strength to handle life as it is. That’s how real progress happens—not just for individuals, but for society as a whole.
Awesome article - thanks!
Well done! My favourite moment was watching an interviewee comment, “I don’t think I’m comfortable with the direction this conversation is going.” That’s because until that point it wasn’t a conversation. The interviewee presented any conversation from happening!