Our Fascination with Labels, not the Designer ones
Labels have become so common it seems we can't have a simple conversation about anything
without being able to place it in a categorical box prior to doing so. The brain likes to have things in order so maybe that's why we gravitate towards this practice but these labels, and boxes, cloud what we think we see and almost act like filters that we are unaware of.
Labels, tags, definitions, we seem to want to know what something, or someone, is before we actually get to know it. Where's the fun in that? Whatever happen to enjoying something in the moment simply for what it is? Could it be that more people are future oriented than not and need a specific direction with which to guide their thoughts? Why can't we enjoy LeBron James, in the moment, for him simply doing what he does? Why does everything about him now have to spark dialogue about him being the G.O.A.T? I don't eat meat and try my best to abstain from dairy products and have never once referred to myself as a vegetarian or vegan but as soon as my dietary habits are visible to people I'm immediately put into the box. Seems strange to me. Could it be a culture thing? Majority culture that is. After all, if someone is in the majority, labels don't seem to be as important. Maybe I'll run my own experiment. Next time I'm out to dinner with someone who orders a steak I'll blurt out, 'Oh, you're a carnivore, ok good to know." That would be funny.
Technology makes so much of what we do easier and faster and maybe that's partially why things seem to have organically developed like this, but sometimes it's good to simply live in the present and just enjoy the moment, without filters, particularly when it comes to our social interactions with one another. Let's try to enjoy one another without labels or boxes, who knows you might even learn something new about someone you already know if you apply this simple little mindhack.
without being able to place it in a categorical box prior to doing so. The brain likes to have things in order so maybe that's why we gravitate towards this practice but these labels, and boxes, cloud what we think we see and almost act like filters that we are unaware of.
Labels, tags, definitions, we seem to want to know what something, or someone, is before we actually get to know it. Where's the fun in that? Whatever happen to enjoying something in the moment simply for what it is? Could it be that more people are future oriented than not and need a specific direction with which to guide their thoughts? Why can't we enjoy LeBron James, in the moment, for him simply doing what he does? Why does everything about him now have to spark dialogue about him being the G.O.A.T? I don't eat meat and try my best to abstain from dairy products and have never once referred to myself as a vegetarian or vegan but as soon as my dietary habits are visible to people I'm immediately put into the box. Seems strange to me. Could it be a culture thing? Majority culture that is. After all, if someone is in the majority, labels don't seem to be as important. Maybe I'll run my own experiment. Next time I'm out to dinner with someone who orders a steak I'll blurt out, 'Oh, you're a carnivore, ok good to know." That would be funny.
Technology makes so much of what we do easier and faster and maybe that's partially why things seem to have organically developed like this, but sometimes it's good to simply live in the present and just enjoy the moment, without filters, particularly when it comes to our social interactions with one another. Let's try to enjoy one another without labels or boxes, who knows you might even learn something new about someone you already know if you apply this simple little mindhack.
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