Why Labels Are EXPLANATIONS, Not Destinations!
π¨ πππ πππ πππ ππππ ππππππ! π¨
We all use labels in one form or another.
We use them with political parties (Republican, Democrat, Independent), with ethnicities (African American, White, Asian), with sexual orientation (Gay, Straight, Bisexual), with food habits (Paleo, Atkins, Vegan), etc. π¬
Labels provide simplicity to an infinitely complex world.
π They provide us feelings of certainty.
π They provide us clarity about the things we wish to understand versus the things we donβt.
π They provide us a sense of connection to groups who share our beliefs and values.
The point is, we need labels. None of us would be able to cognitively function in our day-to-day lives without them! π
And yetβ¦labels are also a double-edged sword. π‘οΈ
Because the more labels we use, the more we paradoxically limit our abilities to better understand ourselves and other people. Inadvertently, we start to see people less as people and more as abstractions, all through the filters of these labels. π
π Instead of the individual, we have a group identity.
π Instead of various political views, we have a political party to choose.
π Instead of understanding someoneβs emotional patterns, we have a diagnosis.
Again, labels are not intrinsically good or bad. But they do have tradeoffs, and in my eyes they carried a real expensive tradeoff for me when I was younger.
I wouldnβt be where I am today if I kept holding onto my childhood labels:
π βI canβt because I have Autism.β
π βI canβt because Iβm an Introvert.β
π βI canβt because Iβmβ¦Iβmβ¦Iβmβ¦β
Labels have their place, but I urge you: donβt let them dictate what you think youβre capable of doing in the future like I did. β οΈ
They are an EXPLANATION, not a DESTINATION. β€οΈ
β β β -
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