Soundtrack: “Disconnectie: The Faithful Vampire” by Norma Jean
My, it's been a Norma Jean kind of day, hasn't it?
I just had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. She's got this idea that religion isn't bad as long as people do not limit themselves by labeling themselves whatever that religion is. For example, as a Christian my beliefs are totally cool, but I should not call myself a Christian because I will be limiting myself. Which is a nice idea, sort of.
But I think she’s on the right track. I think where she is trying to go is this idea: do not define yourself by what you label yourself, i.e. nerd, jock, Christian, Muslim, graphic designer, theoretical analyst, etc. Instead, let your beliefs and who you are come out in the way you live your life. Are you a Jew? Work at a bank? Then don't live as a Jewish banker should, but as your belief dictates. That means studying scripture, giving to the poor and the widows, eating kosher foods, being responsible with money, taking care of the customer, fiscally sound, all that good stuff. After all, what good does it do to tattoo “philanthropist” on your forehead if all you are going to do is march around and point to it and say “I like to invest myself in people! Look at me!”
That seems to be what religion has turned into, though. In fact, it seems to be what American culture has turned into? Are you Republican or Democrat? Christian or Atheist? Black or White? Citizen or Illegal Immigrant? It's a culture of labels and extremes... no wonder we're so fucked up.
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6 comments:
I don't agree with the fact that the reason we are all f****d up is because every body is trying to fit into a label. I beleive the reason this nation is f****d up is because nobody has structure to their life. People don't respect boundaries anymore. I don't care who you are, there are only so many different kinds of people in this world. You are going to fit into a lable, or a few lables at once even, and that's where you your best contribution(s) will be. There is a pattern to life and to be a contributer you need to find your lable, or niche as some people call it. You can't just be a free-floater like all the young people want to do today. We all have lables, the trick is to find out which one you fit and live with it.
Personally, I think you have the whole idea of labels wrong.
I mean, I can put a Fat Tire label on a bottle of Bud and it's still horse piss. In other words, it's a deceptive label which is the problem, not the label itself.
If someone is very athletic and involved in sports, calling themselves a jock is a very appropriate label that helps that person communicate something about themselves.
A agree with both of you. I don't think we should reject labels at all, although we should not let labels define who we are. We will be given appropriate labels that will help define us through the way we live out our lives. I think the big problem is as Joe said... false labels. Eventually people are going to see through the game, though, and what good is your false label then?
"we should not let labels define who we are"
Hum, maybe I think funky, but I never say the label as defining me, rather, the label described me and, over time, as life's experiences have redefined me, the labels have changed.
Of course, I do know some people out there with no sense of self-identity who desperately grasp a label so they feel like they can belong somewhere. Maybe they are the ones behind your post.
Bingo. And the scary thing is that there are a LOT of people I've met who are like that... no sense of who they are at all. It's tragic, really.
I'm going to be the asshole that points out that because "label" was misspelled in the first comment so much, I couldn't honestly take anything said seriously. Sounds like a personal problem, right? It's nothing personal. It's just how much of a narrow-minded snob I am, but at least I'm accepting and voicing said snob label.
I do not think whether we choose to acknowledge labels or not in our society is the issue. People can't help but point their finger at every one possible, except at themselves. "You are this, you are that - I don't know what the hell I am, but I know what YOU are." How can you be so sure? You jerk! So instead, we have people reacting to this shit 'reality' when the only labeling we truly need to worry about is the one we go to bed with - alone. Who are YOU to you, and who are YOU in God's eyes (if you have one)? That is to say, when we stop caring what everyone thinks of us so damn much, we'll be in a much more pleasant place. And, I am 100% guilty of this.
But what I really want to know is this:
Where can I pick up the label or few that I've been looking for? I can't seem to find the "drop-dead gorgeous" and "smarter than Aristotle" anywhere.
However, I'm pretty sure I've found the "smartass sarcastic bastard" one - it fits like a glove.
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