Labels are convenient and helpful, but can also be detrimental if a person becomes too attached to them
Categorizing the world into various classifications is a useful way of parsing reality, helping to make sense of the world we inhabit. Humans are very adept at breaking down existence into a wide range of labels and distinctions, as we love to distinguish one thing from another.
This can be seen in the field of science, where classifying things is a helpful tool in sorting the world and defining one thing from another. It can also be witnessed at a societal level, as we have labels for types of vehicles, clothing, hairstyles, music genres, art forms, etc.
Clearly, there are rational reasons why we choose to distinguish one thing from another with guideposts and categories. Without any type of categorizing and systematic labeling, reality would be a muddy, chaotic mess.
Intense attachment to certain labels can become problematic
There are certain labels and categories that are detrimental to our experience of reality. If we receive a mental health diagnosis, it can be easy to believe that this sophisticated label is the sum totality of who we are. We may start researching the symptoms, the causes, the experience of others who also have this label, and can fall prey to seeing everything through the lens of this diagnosis.
The same is true for a religious, political, or cultural label that either we place on ourselves or others place on us. If you lean to the left politically, someone who labels themselves as a Republican will almost certainly elicit a negative response, one that sees that person as having all of the various attachments and associations you link with it.
Labels carry emotional baggage and it can be difficult to separate ourselves from them. Those who are intensely ideological are likely to see the world through a very solid and strict set of labels, reducing reality down to their preconceived idea of it.
Detach, analyze, and question your pre-defined classifications
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." – Aristotle
When we solidify our labels and ideas, we become rigid and inflexible in regards to seeing the world any other way. We also limit our ability to change, go with the flow, or exist separate from our prejudices.
This applies not only to the external world but also to our internal reality. Defining ourselves as being one thing or another is akin to shutting a door to the possibility that we are more than what we label ourselves to be. I'm sure you've had an experience where you did something you didn't know you were capable of, a reminder that strict self-imposed definitions limit our ability to be present to what actually is.
As scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski "The map is not the territory". Use labels as a guidepost instead of some dogmatic truth of what existence actually is. Reality is much more fluid than we imagine.
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One's personal experiences of reality comprise maybe 0.00000001% of what has occurred in or is knowable about the world. On the other hand, they likely make up ≥80% of how one thinks the world works.
Your article is pertinent because many today are essentially obsessed with their own identities, especially - as you alluded to - regarding how they pertain to political power. Unfortunately, the more an idea/belief is tied to one's identity, the more one will ignore the evidence that it is false. As such, the less of an identity one can absorb, the better.
"You could identify with what you understand. That's what ideologues do. You could identify with what you don't understand. That's what seekers of truth do. Or you could identify with the process of moving between those states, and that's the right way to conceptualize yourself." - Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
As a science guy, I've thought a fair amount about how it really is a intense system of labeling, and as a taoist (more or less) I really appreciate the statement "The Tao that is spoken (or written) is not the real Tao."
Nice post!
The image of the rope is very impressive, indicating the bonding
We must be like a cord intertwined
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