Living in a HyperNormalisation Bubble: The Illusion of Peace Amidst Chaos

Shane Warren
Jun 11
4 min read

It’s funny, isn’t it? The way we can sit comfortably in our lives, sipping our drinks, clicking away on our laptops, all while a world of dysfunction and upheaval swirls outside, barely making a ripple in our calm.

As I sit here in my well kept US West Coast resort dwelling, perhaps sipping something overpriced from the minibar (it’s been one of those days - I’m aware of the deeper tension brewing outside. I’m also aware of just how easy it is to turn a blind eye to it all. But what’s the alternative? The reality is, the moment I step off this well-kept campus, I’m faced with a choice of directions. On one hand, I could turn left. There, I’d see ICE agents sweeping through the streets, rounding up restaurant workers or checking hospital staff ID’s, and, here’s the kicker, residents are rushing to stop them, chasing them away as if the reality of it is some kind of unwanted party-crasher. On the other hand, I could go right, where the National Guard and Marines have been called to patrol peaceful assemblies. Yes, peaceful. A protest, a demand for dignity, is now met with military-grade force.

But here's the thing: there’s no real choice, is there? Sure, I could watch the madness unfold from my window, tapping away on my keyboard, turning a blind eye to the surrounding chaos. I could write my blog posts, launch another business initiative, even order delivery of food from the local restaurant, completely unaware of the tension running underneath the surface.

Except, I’m not unaware, am I?

I know the workers aren’t showing up. Housekeeping’s delayed, pool towels are out of stock, and every now and then the sounds of frustrated guests complain about the “slow service.” But no one’s asking why. They don’t care why. In fact, they just want the whole charade to stay “normal.” Keep it normal. Don’t disrupt the comfort. Don’t disturb the peace. The real chaos? Well, that's just part of the background noise.

And why is that? Because as long as things seem fine on the surface, well, then we can all pretend everything's fine, right?

This is the state we find ourselves in today trapped in the web of HyperNormalisation. You’ve probably heard the term floating around, but if not, it's a bit like being a frog in a pot of boiling water, except you're the one turning the dial up. Society, whether by choice or by sheer neglect has engineered itself so that we can live inside a bubble. A bubble that’s warm and safe, and one that we can continue to inflate until we’re out of breath. The world outside? Chaotic, unhinged, and full of human suffering - but, hey, as long as it doesn’t touch us personally, what’s the problem?

It’s easy, really. The world’s going up in flames, and we’ve created a system that makes us comfortable sitting in our seat by the fire, because as long as the flames aren’t directly touching our skin, they don’t count. As long as the workers are still cleaning my room (even if they’re too scared to show up), the food still comes on time, and the resort stays “picture-perfect,” I don’t have to worry about the systemic injustices happening outside. I can happily type away, lost in my thoughts, as if it all doesn’t matter.

But does it not matter? What does it say about us when the moment we’re safe in our bubble, the suffering of others is not our problem?

Let’s take a moment to think about it.

We’re witnessing the slow erosion of rights, the tightening of borders, the crushing of hope for so many people, and the answer is: Stay in your bubble. Ignore the pain, the hurt, the human cost. Continue with your life as if nothing is happening beyond the horizon of your own comfort. There’s a certain luxury in that, isn’t there? The privilege of being so unaffected that we stop questioning things - stop seeing the injustice and, eventually, even stop caring. After all, when the suffering doesn’t affect us directly, what incentive do we have to rock the boat?

Except, here's the thing: that’s not living. That’s surviving. It’s easy to become so comfortable in your own little world that you forget about everyone else’s. But, as it turns out, comfort can be a deadly drug. A constant drip feed of illusion that keeps you numb to the world you’re actually part of. The world that’s actually waiting for you to notice it.

So, why should we wake up from our comfortable slumber? Because living in this bubble isn’t a strategy, it’s denial. As long as the system doesn’t affect us directly, we keep pretending everything’s fine, all the while others, often just as deserving, are crushed underfoot.

The truth is you can't unsee what you've seen. You can’t ignore the suffering that’s only a turn to the left or right away from you. You can’t pretend that everything’s okay when the workers are out there, living in fear, or when the streets are being policed for the simple act of standing up for what’s right.

What we have here is a crisis of apathy, and it’s time for a reckoning.

Wake up, HyperNormalisationers. The world you’ve been hiding from is real, and it's waiting for you to finally face it. Because as long as we pretend that staying “normal” is the answer, we’re complicit in the dysfunction. It’s time to step out of the bubble, get uncomfortable, and ask the hard questions.

Because if we don’t? Well, we’ll all keep pretending that everything’s fine until the next catastrophe knocks on our door. And by then, it might be too late to care.