The predator system doesn’t fear failure — it fears excellence, because excellence destabilizes routines and breaks the quiet compliance that keeps everything running smoothly. In practice, this means you receive praise, acceptance, and approval when you stay in the middle of the curve, but subtle resistance, envy, or punishment the moment you begin to outgrow the life others are comfortable with. The world quietly trains you to equate “fitting in” with belonging, even though belonging and conformity have nothing to do with each other. People who rise too fast, think too clearly, or act too boldly get socially corrected until they learn to tone themselves down. The blade cuts deepest when you understand that mediocrity wasn’t your default — it was the path of least resistance in a world that punishes anything that glows too brightly.