It is true that labels help us identify things, situations, and people. Let’s say that they “facilitate” our path towards them. Labels are an easy and quick way to categorize everything. We are pretty much all stuck with a label: "doctor, lawyer, unemployed, teacher, homosexual, champion, vegetarian activist, mother with three children, divorced, alcoholic, homeless," and much more. And somehow, we characterize people around us as if their label is clung to their forehead. It seems like the products’ labels from the supermarket. But is this us? Or are we just that?

It is certain that what we do in our lives and the paths we have followed determine us in one way or another. In fact, many times, if we put positive labels on ourselves, they give us confidence and security to continue our work. These are likely labels we want to have because they show precisely something about us, an ideology and an achievement, something that we want to promote to the world. After all, we consider it essential. It shows that we have achieved something, and who does not want to be recognized by the world for something they have achieved? We take it for granted that if we have fought for something and are proud of it, we should accept it and consider it our own.

But that is not the problem with labels. It is nice to put positive labels, thus having good faith and optimism for the things around us. The problem is when we identify everything around us based on these labels when trapped in them.

Let's start with the fact that all people consciously or subconsciously put labels on others. But what if our opinion depends solely on the labels? When we put negative labels on others, in this way we close the boundaries and stop the prospects that each person has. And someone should not get into boxes. They should not be defined by something so narrow and strict. Why should we restrict their freedom to change or evolve? Why should we call them ugly, lazy, or incompetent? Why should we define their identity so stereotypically by depriving them of every right to act in their own personal and unique way? Because when someone is characterized by society and their environment as ugly, lazy, and incompetent, this will act as a prophecy, and in the end, they will do everything they can to confirm it. Also, why should a choice in our love life, our diet, our business, and our clothes still tell us how we should behave, not being able to go beyond the narrow boundaries set by this label?

“The problem with labels is that they lead to stereotypes, and stereotypes lead to generalizations, and generalizations lead to assumptions, and assumptions lead back to stereotypes. It’s a vicious cycle, and after you go around and around a bunch of times, you end up believing that all vegans only eat cabbage and all gay people love musicals.” -Ellen DeGeneres

And what happens when we put labels on ourselves? We often convince ourselves that we are something, and whether we like it or not, we act on it. But a label can serve as a trap. If we tell ourselves that we are incapable, we will remain stagnant. We will not try to evolve, to work harder to go one level higher. A label can limit the ways in which we would like to get out of a situation and reduce our choices for change.

We can also hear this from society, and the burden becomes greater there. Even a positive label from society can put much pressure on us. "She was always astute and hardworking. Why didn't he get the promotion? "Something is wrong." The label of smart, hardworking, "good kid" can be a great source of stress and pressure, as everyone would try hard to confirm these titles. In case of failure, the weight becomes significant, and people can become quite critical.

Labels affect how we see things around us. We cannot solve a problem because we are trapped in a label that has been assigned to us. Depression and anxiety are some of the severe consequences, and they give us a feeling of helplessness, confirming the negative label we have put on ourselves. Thus, we judge a situation based on all the negative emotions we have accumulated, and we cannot behave objectively.

In this case, we must realize that our life is not defined by just one word. We may be what the sign says, but we are not just that. Or we still will not be that forever. A name cannot say everything about us. We are not only mothers, but we are also women; we should also be women. We are not only straight or gay, but we have other things to say about ourselves. We are not only businessmen, teachers, salesmen, lawyers, engineers, and builders, but we also have personal lives, which is equally important.

We are many things

If you feel that you have made a mistake in your life and think you have been given a label that drowns you, you can change it. A name or a label cannot define you for a lifetime. You can always change who you are. Why do we leave something so strict to reduce our chances of evolution and change? You can always try to change what you do not like about yourself. No label should limit us to this, especially the labels that others have put on us.

It is imperative that we respect and accept our choices. Even if we have made wrong choices that we regret and have labels we would not like, it is never too late to strive for the best we can. It is tough for us to think about criticism of the world.

A critical step is to think "outside the box" without criticism and prejudice. Before we think about someone else who does not change, let’s think that we may not let them change because they may be afraid to leave their mark. This prophecy confirms the label we all have on us.

Think about how free we would feel if we left all the labels behind. Think about how different things would be if we allowed ourselves to act, to evolve as we dream for ourselves. Think about what would happen if we could treat ourselves and others with kindness, understanding, and empathy, if we felt free to become what we wanted to be, or at least if we could try. I think a world with less racism and prejudice would definitely be a little better.