(Perhaps this blog should be called the bi-annual morph. Change happens daily -writing about it? Not so much. Shrug.)
Labels are great!
On food products, medications, chemicals, even in your pantry, bathroom, craft room, and other places you crazy label-maker lovers have been known to leave your mark. (You know who you are!) Yes, all of these represent useful, appropriate uses of labeling. Go labels!
But what about labels we attach to people?
When I was a "believer" (label) I refused to put anything on my van to indicate such -no bumper stickers, no personalized plate, no little fish, no praying Calvin. Nothing. Partly because I just don't care for those things, but mostly it was because I knew that on any given moment I was capable of being more human than "Christian." I was just as likely as the next guy to run a red light, or speed, or cut someone off in traffic, whether intentionally or not. And you won't find anything on my van now indicating my beliefs or lack thereof. I just don't think my life is easily summarized by a single word or symbol. I doubt anyone's life is.
We use these labels against each other. If you fly around me in a no passing zone with an Ichthus fish on your bumper, I'm probably going to think to myself, "Well, there you go. Hypocrite!" And likewise a Christian who gets cut off by some dude with a Darwin fish on his bumper may think, "Well, there you go. Lawless baby-eater!"
The truth is Jesus fish dude is not behaving like a Christian. Nor is the thinking fish dude behaving like an Atheist. They are both acting like humans and well, really crappy drivers. The labels perpetuate our assumptions, stereotypes, fears, separation. You think the "caution: hot" warning on a McDonald's coffee cup is silly?
Now more than ever it's easy to get caught up --Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Gay, Straight. I'm guilty. So are you. Sucks doesn't it?
At the very least, let's agree to try, TRY, to limit the labeling to one we can all agree on and none can escape: human.
Selfishly selfless, lawfully rebellious, perfectly flawed humans.
