"I think we use a lot of words and labels when trying to describe people. In general, I think that labeling people is a major issue, and people don't understand the power of language." --- Nikki Reed
Take a moment and think back to the last week. How often did you label and categorize someone? A friend, an acquaintance, a colleague, a family member? I will be the first one to admit that I do this all too often. Our society (and our minds) are programmed to label people, and then organize them neatly that way in our head. There is the obvious labels, like "the brown guy", and then the more subtle ones "the one who always flakes". Lately, I realized just how often those around me (and I myself!) label people around us.
Some of the things thrown around include "oh but they're not an actual blogger", and "but they're kind of shady". But those words - those labels - like 'shady', 'flaky', and not an actual this or that - those words are so powerfully dangerous. I often cringe when I am watching Instagram stories and witness people labelling others or calling people out. And as I said, in my personal life, I have definitely done the same. But I want to live in a world where we aren't defined by others' viewpoint of us, but rather by our actions and our own words. Wouldn't that be a beautiful world?
We as humans have to realize how much impact the words we choose to describe people have - both of how we then perceive and interact with them, and also on how they realize themselves if ever labelled to their face. So, yeah, this is my plain urge for you to be kind to others. To let them be. To allow everyone to live their own / their best life. To not judge and then label them.
The core purpose that ENDOXIST exists online is to encourage you to just do what you want to do, live how / where / whenever you want to, and not let anyone tell you otherwise. Be whatever type of person and colleague and family member you can, and in contrast, allow everyone to be the same to you. Stop being the authority figure in what you believe your life speciality is.
So the next time you feel like putting someway away in that certain box in your mind; the box for the "losers", for the "annoying basics", for the "non-creatives", stop yourself. Instead, put them in boxes labelled "I don't know them that well yet", or "they have amazing personal qualities". Follow this exercise and I promise you, you will be so much more happy in your own life.
