I have entered into an old debate tonight, and it inspired me to make this blog. Are labels such a bad thing? I think they are useful tools that can be used for good and bad. We are who we are, nothing can change that. What is the best way to express who we are ... using a word or words to describe who we are. In other words, we use a label.
In religious issues labeling people is considered to be taboo. People are labeling people this or that and most people complain about being labeled. Most people hate having a general label placed on them. He is a Christian, she is a Pagan, They are Pastafarians. But how else can you try to understand a basis of other people's beliefs? Labels are adjectives, they describe who we are. I am a pagan, pagan is a label that describes me. If it is an honest description of who you are, what is wrong with it. Saying that because I am a pagan , I am a devil worshipper is a label but also an insult. People that don't understand what a pagan believes use the "devil worshipper" label as a way to lower the pagan below themselves. It is easier to make people feel low about themselves for a short time, than to improve yourself.
I use labels to understand people better. Billy is not much of a christian. I want to know what he believes in , so that I can understand and respect his beliefs. He then tells me that he is an Agnostic Christian. He applied a label to himself , and now I know what he believes even better. Jennifer is looking for help to resolve an ethics issue in her beliefs. She says that she is an Eclectic Wiccan that honors the Norse gods. I thus know everything I need to know to help out Jennifer.
We as a people hate people calling use a title that we didn't place on ourselves first. It can be an honest description of who we are, but unless we thought it up first, forget about it. This reflects on how fragile we are. How much our egos get in the way. If you can't accept someones general opinion of who you are, specially if it is an honest one, you need to calm down.
If someone uses a label in asking a question, answer the question calmly and honestly. Someone might ask if you are a witch, because they have no idea what else you could be. Someone might ask me if I am a warlock, and I would tell them, "No, I am a druid, warlocks are a creation of Hollywood." Then we can exchange a few questions and the person would have a better understanding of who I am by using a few labels.
We use labels everyday, I find it silly that people get so angry when a label is used to describe them. We are all different people, we all follow our unique paths. How else will others know what sets us apart but with the use of labels. Meet Jim........ sounds kinda boring... Jim. Meet Jim Barnes , he has a PhD in Philosophy, he is a pagan, a writer , a liberal thinker, and he collects postcards. Jim Barnes seems like an amazing person to meet. Labels when used can be wonderful tools.
As I said earlier , Labels can be used to do bad things. Calling people names to insult or class them in a negative manner is wrong. When other religious groups call all non-believers satanists, that is wrong. That is a label of hate. It is also not an honest classification of people. You have to learn to consider where the labels are coming from before you judge them as terrible things.
One label tat I absolutely hate is "Pagans and Wiccans" . All Wiccans are pagans, so why are people treating them as a separate group? Are they in a different class than other pagans?
I feel that many non-abrahamics have a victim mentality. They are scarred from Christianity from their past involvements with Christianity. Christianity has a long history of subjugating people into smaller groups and then given a name to add salt to the wounds. This has made many people keep their distance from any title or label that could possibly separate them or add another scar.
This is shown time and time again when a pagan tries to work with a larger group of pagans. How dare that person try to lead me, he is not like me , only I can lead me. How do we know that person A is different from person B ? We use labels to describe ourselves. And if the title doesn't fit out group, we resist and complain. Titles can harm a group from advancing as they should. I was in a druid group and the worst thing you could be was a "Celtic Recon or CR" .
We live in a world that uses labels and rejects labels. We seek to be accepted for who we are, but are willing to reject those that are different. There is one description that fits us all, and should be considered before all else. I am a pagan, I am also Human ..... just like you. stop looking at the bad side of labels and use them honestly and you can open doors to learn from others.
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