Information Related to "Labels -- Part 1"
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Labels -- Part 1 By Lorelei Nettles Labels can tell us a lot, and we often stand by a label. But what happens when we label people?
e all recognize our favorite products by their colors, symbols or packaging labels. If we are accustomed to using a certain product, we may not give it up even when changes are made to it. A very familiar label is that of Coca-Cola. Introduced in 1886, it's a product with worldwide recognition.
Change After some debate, Coca-Cola, now under new ownership, changed forever. It would now be made with spent leaves of the Coca plant and would contain only traces of cocaine. Even today, it is flavored with cocaine-free coca leaf extract. How, we may wonder, did the regular drinkers of Coca-Cola feel about that change? Many were used to sipping this refresher until they were literally buzzed. Now it would merely be a soda pop. While some people did quit drinking the cola, most people stood by the label. They knew this product, had been drinking it for some time and would not turn away from it.
Personal labels What about the mental labels we create? How are we at letting go of our preset ideas of what or how things should be? Have you ever labeled someone? Labels are sticky and difficult to remove once placed; we often apply them very quickly without a second thought. We have all been guilty of it: maybe it was someone who was short with you and you labeled them a crab. It could have been a person who worked with you and you labeled them bossy. It's not always the big labels that stand out. Words like gossip, chatty, egotistical and so on are all labels that can cause friction for a person or persons.
Difficult-to-remove labels I once knew a little boy who had too much energy for his own good. Because of this, he would often unintentionally play too rough and, because he didn't know his own strength, other children would sometimes get hurt. The boy was always sorry and really tried to be gentler, but it was too late. Parents of other children became concerned and labeled this little boy a bully. They began to watch more closely when the boy was around and would yell at him if he even looked like he might cause harm. The boy, in turn, became very touchy and would get upset and hurt. He knew he hadn't done anything and was not even given a chance, but his getting upset only made him look more like a bully. Right or wrong, there it was: a huge "bully" label pasted across the child. The interesting thing was what happened next. The children, having so often seen their parents' reactions to the boy, began blaming him as well. If they got hurt, it was the boy's fault; if there was some bad behavior by the children, they told their parents it was the boy who started it. The parents always believed their own child -- why wouldn't they? It matched the label, after all. The bully label was stuck and not likely to be removed anytime soon. It was sad. Four years passed and the boy was still full of energy, but no longer having the same issues he had previously had with the children. The children were very forgiving and had no issue with the boy, yet the parents could or would not let it go. They could not remove the label they had put on this boy so many years before. They continued to discuss the boy with disdain, as if it were still four years ago. Even though he had not displayed any of his previous behavior, the label was stuck.
Peeling away the labels Christ taught us that we are to love one another (John 15:17), and in Ephesians 4:2 we are told to be "with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love." We cannot show that love if we hold on to those negative labels. A negative label placed on another can cause us to retain bad thoughts towards them, even if they have changed.
Giving a person the time to change or realizing we may have mislabeled them in the first place is a good place to start. And guess what? They may not be the one who changes at all. Often it is ourselves who have to adjust. If we are not forgiving, who knows what kind of label may be placed onto us in the future? No one wants to be negatively labeled, and we have all been guilty of doing it at some point or another. The goal is to be the example, the one who steps out of the familiar line with the familiar crowd -- to be the first to start peeling away the labels, even if it is only a strip at a time. It means saying yes, maybe I'll give this new product (person) a chance. Maybe I have missed what's underneath by only reading the label. (In part 2 of "Labels," the subject of group and individual labels created by deeds or pasts is further discussed.) Further reading For more reading on how to changer your life, request our free booklet, . Copyright 2009 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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Other Articles by Lorelei Nettles
Origin of article "Labels -- Part 1"
Keywords: labeling people judging pre-judging stereotypes
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