I Believe in Labeling People

It is a scientific fact that labeling is an important part of our brain functioning. On any given day we are inundated with thousands, perhaps even millions, of bits of data: colors, sounds, smells, sights...everything we encounter must be filtered and either ignored, reacted to or stored by our amazing brain. In order to handle this constant barrage of information our brain creates short-cuts; to help us group, categorize, and organize things in our head, we clump things that are the same in certain categories and then we slap a label on it and put it on the shelf of our mind. This sorting system works quite well in most circumstances: cats and cows are mammals, snakes and turtles are not. Oranges and apples are for eating, and (unless you are under two) dirt is not. Our labeling is designed to keep us out of harm and trouble, and it works... for the most part. Here's the problem:humans. Humans are so much more complex than a jar of mayonnaise or a book or a pet. Humans are spiritual, intellectual, and emotional beings, not just physical entities. Outside of the word "human" and its synonyms, there is no one-word label that can be used to adequately describe a member of the human race. We are each too unique. Even children from the same family with the same genetic pool are completely different. This is precisely where our "short-cuts" get us into trouble. We see other humans and automatically our brains want to start categorizing just like they do for everything else. We see "White" "Hispanic" "Black" "Asian" "Christian" "Atheist" "Muslim" "Jew" "Fat" "Skinny" "Pretty" "Ugly" "Republican" "Democrat" "Smart" "Dumb" and millions more like them. Each one of those labels may be accurate; that woman really does have white skin, that man really is a Jew. The problem is that suddenly instead of that label describing one tiny piece of information about that individual, our brains have had years of conditioning by culture and upbringing to give us the shortcut of a story that we attach to that label. When we think "Muslim" we have a picture in our mind, and a story that goes along with it that tells us what a "Muslim" is like...anything from what they believe to what they look like, wear, behave like, etc. All this information simply from one small word. This one small word discounts that there are millions of Muslims in many countries all over the world. Each individual in that religion has different upbringings, cultures, traditions, feelings, ideas, talents, and beliefs within that religion. Each individual may interpret what their scriptures may mean differently, or agree or disagree with their leaders. The same is true of any group we assign labels to. Do all Americans think alike? Do all people with brown skin behave and believe the same way? Do all Christians live their religion exactly identically? The answer is of course not. Every person on this planet has a different story, the unique personality and talents they are born with, and millions of experiences and opportunities (or lack thereof)that shape what they think and how they behave. Within a given group there are as many variations of belief or behavior as there are members of that group. So if labels are a "must" (and they are) what can we do? First we must realize the problem isn't that we are labeling, it is how we are labeling. From there, all we need do is RE-label. We must unravel and take a good look at the falsities in the stories we have put on our shelves, and be willing to force our brains to take some extra time in the labeling process when we encounter another human being (be it in person, on TV, or even the internet). Is that person just "brown"? Or is she a daughter, a singer, a dreamer? Is that voter from the "other" side a crazy ultra conservative racist or perhaps a radical liberal tree hugging baby killer? Or could they be normal people with valid reasons based on their personal needs, experiences,etc. and just be thinking about it from a different viewpoint? I think we all look at the news and shake our heads when we see what is happening in the world around us. What can we do? We can pause. We can take time to ask questions, challenge our thoughts, challenge others thoughts, try to see things from their point of view. We can learn something new. It might just surprise us what we find and how our labels may change. Next post coming: My personal Re-label project