Monday, July 13, 2009

Labels

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Labels define who we think we are.

Let's say we are a 30 year old, middle class, Democratic, Catholic woman living in Los Angeles. Each of those adjectives reflects its own belief system. These belief systems can cause stress in at least two ways.

First, the belief systems may conflict with each other. For example, a woman from Los Angeles may believe that birth control and premarital sex are fine, while the rules of being Catholic forbid it.

Second, the belief systems conflict with who we really are without the labels.

The more dogmatic and firmly held our beliefs are, the more stress is created. Because the conflict is so great, this can cause perverted behavior and extreme unhappiness. That is why fundamentalist religious believers, such as Larry Craig, often are discovered to be leading secret lives so divergent from what they believe.

It takes courage to surrender the beliefs of the tribes to which we belong. However, when we do so, we align ourselves with the wisdom, peace, harmony and love of Universal Spirit. Our anger, frustration, and illusions dissipate. It is as if we have awakened from a dream.

Let's surrender to what is without the labels and beliefs.

1 comment:

CHUCK REDHAWK said...

Thanks for another enlightened blog!

Down with labels - Old/ Young, Ugly/Beautiful, Rich/Poor etc. etc...and in MUSIC - Institutional Labels (Genres) like Urban + Jazz and Rock and Country divide us and underline deep racial divisions that persist in this "Post Race" era.

Let's work to restore Wholeness!