It is always wise to gather all the facts before one rushes to label a person and/or a community. This can often save one from embarassment.
I have found my ethnicity at times a trial and a joy. The problem comes when people try to place me in a box. African-Americans place me with Caucasians or Mexicans. Caucasians often mistake me for Arabic, Hispanic, or African-American. None of these truly encompass who I am or the wonderful identity GOD designed just for me. Don't even get me started on how government forms treat me.
I have seen this happen with those who society affixes the title cognitively disabled. Does this label explain how compassionate this person is? Does it expound on the fact that person X may have a cognitive disorder but also has a faith that would make the mountains shift? No, it boxes the person into a category so they can be assessed in the crudest of all forms.
Of course there are the instances of people of differing physical challenges and aptitudes. Two people could both have parking tags for the physically challenged, but be treated totally differently because person A's challenge is visible and B's is not. I used to deal with this all the time. I happen to be blessed that my muscular dystrophy is not as aggressive as it could have been. But because people couldn't "see" the disease they assumed I was misusing the privelege. I would get dirty looks and glares both from the "able bodied" and worse yet others with physical challenges. You'd think the latter would know better but sadly it often is not so. Only now that I regularly use a cane am I spared that particular judgmental behavior.
I am not saying I have not been guilty of labelling because that would be a blatant lie. What I am declaring is we should be better than that. Don't try to place everyone you see in a box. Take a risk. Try to meet the real person. It can prove educational and may be a greater blessing than you know.
Take Care and GOD Bless,
Freedom's Scribe
So often the purpose of labeling is to harm, to degrade, to as this blogger stated put people in a box. We are told to not put God in a box. Why don't we take the bold step of looking at each person as the child of God he/she is. It could well prove to be enlightening.
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