The Label Effect

Label: a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. 

That seems simple enough.  But don't let the simplicity fool you.  Please allow me to take you on a personal tour of what I call "the label effect".  I have to make it personal because it is...but it can be "applied" to everyone. (Pun intended)

      

It all started on the day I was born.  My parents gave me a name.  I needed to be called something because let's face it...life would be quite difficult if everyone was called "Baby".  I suppose everyone could be given a number.  For obvious reasons it was necessary to have this first label.  However, no matter what I was called...I would still be "me". 

Along the way, I started gathering some other descriptive labels.  Depending on who you talked to and on what day...I was given some labels we now call personality traits.  I have been "tagged" with many labels...good and not so good.  Most people would like me to be consistent with these "traits" so that I would be more predictable.  And we need to describe ourselves to others, so they can get to know us and what to expect from us.  No matter how I am described, the fact remains...I would still be "me".

Later on I got some different labels.  Some were roles I played...sister, daughter, wife, mother, student, etc.  I also gathered up some professional titles.  These actually impressed some people.  I also gathered some health diagnoses...people didn't quite know what to make of them.  After a lifetime of label gathering...I am still "me" (with the new label of "senior"...which I get discounts for!)

The amazing thing about labels is that we cannot live without them.  Our minds have to categorize so that we can make some sense of the world we live in.  The negative result is that we miss the ESSENCE of the person we have boxed in with labels.  It is maddening to be perceived through the lens of my labels.  I am not my labels, not even the good ones.  And you are not yours.  So this is the great question, that the search for identity demands..."Who am I if I am not my labels?"

Well, "I am".   And you are too.   We are all a part of the BIG "I AM".

"The label effect" is nearly impossible for anyone to escape, but it is the only way to truly experience the "real" essence of another.