Posted by permission of
David Singer.

At some point in each of our lives, we’ve had a “label” attached to us, and those labels sometimes hurt. Maybe the labels were attached when we were children and they’ve carried through to adulthood.

Or maybe they were attached to us as teenagers or adults. Either way, they hurt . . . sometimes terribly.

With many people, the labels can cause us to lash out, to hate others, and to use the labels as an excuse to abuse ourselves or others. We get caught in a maze to where there are so many dead ends that there appears to be no way out. 

With other labels, we were born with them, or the labels are our religion. Labels may be attached to medical challenges or life styles.

It doesn’t matter what the labels are . . . labels hurt.

Of course, there are positive labels and negative labels, but labels can also be taken both ways. A “high-society” girl can be a compliment or a cut down, depending on how it’s used.

We tend to look at others and judge them. Yet, do we really know what goes on in their lives? Do we know what it’s like to be behind their labels? We’ve never walked in their shoes. Until we have, we have no right to be critical. Even then, we have no right to judge them.

Let’s look at some labels. Do any of them fit you now . . . or in the past?

Is the color of your skin white?

Is the color of your skin black?

Is the color of your skin red?

Is the color of your skin yellow?

Are you an illegal immigrant?

Are you an immigrant?

Are you suffering from depression?

Do you have any chronic illnesses, and do you feel defined by your illness? “He’s a diabetic.” But isn’t he a person who just happens to have diabetes?

Are you a drug addict or alcoholic?

Even more difficult, are you a RECOVERING drug addict or alcoholic?

Do you suffer from mental illness? Seems like we all do, at one time or another?

Are you too heavy? Too thin? Or, do you feel like you are?

Are you shy and introverted? Or, are you an extrovert and demand to be the center of attention?

Are you a Christian? A Jew? A Muslim?

Are you gay?

Are you in a mixed marriage or the child of a mixed marriage?

Are you wrinkled and gray, and rather than being respected for your great knowledge and history, do you feel tossed aside, unloved, and neglected?

Are you an American?

Are you a Republican?

Are you a Democrat?

Are you from the South?

Are you a woman?

Are you successful?

Are you NOT successful?

Each of these labels can come with trials and difficulties. When we personally suffer from some of these labels, we forget that others suffer from different labels. We’re so quick to judge others, but we don’t like when others judge us.

This is one of the reasons why I love the Internet. It’s the great equalizer. No one knows which side of the “tracks” we live on, and it doesn’t matter. We’re all equal on the Internet, unless we ruin our own reputations online, which can certainly be done.

This post is for us to ponder what I call “labels.”

When could any of us stand up in front of group of people and not be judged on anything before we open our mouths to speak? We’re individuals who deserve to be heard without any labels being attached to us.

So many of the labels above are mine. How many of them are yours?

Robin