We like to think of ourselves as individuals, don’t we? We’d prefer to be a flawed original, than a perfect copy.  Yet when it comes right down to it, we are simply living the life of a label.

We define ourselves as extroverts or introverts, vegan or vegetarian, hippie or hipster. But we are none of these things. We think we are creating a society of individuals, when all we are really doing is expanding our dictionary of personal descriptions.

Who are you, really?

Did you grow up with a family who was constantly trying to make ends meet, or were you even blessed enough to have a family?  Did that define who you became as an adult? No, of course not. You choose who you are, not your past, and not your labels.

“We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through life wearing them like permanent sandwich boards.”
–Nick Webb

Nothing is permanent, not even the words in which you choose to define yourself, and others. As our society is ever-changing, so are our likes and dislikes, wants and needs, and personal aspirations. But you will always be you…

A human being, a beautiful soul, experiencing this life as only you know how to- one moment at a time. Labels don’t help bring us together as a community, they divide us into groups. Nothing great has ever come from separation; we must join together and realize we aren’t any of these labels. We are all the same.

Every race, creed, and religion has a common element: we are human. We share this planet together as one, so let’s start to see each other as one.

“Putting labels on others creates a black hole of disregard where judgment thrives and schisms deepen.”
– David W. Earle

I highly recommend watching this video by Prince EA. In it, he breaks down the effects of labels and the damage they are unknowingly doing.

By Raven Fon