“WORDS MATTER”

I was in the Bank before, waiting to speak with the Manager, I was turned the other way when I heard her say something that I couldn’t make out. I looked at her, “I’m sorry, what?”  “Words Matter,” she repeated, as she read the button on a jacket I hardly wear. And, when I do, that button always inspires at least one comment, it’s a conversation starter with those who clearly agree with the statement. And,I might add, “Now more than ever.” 

With UnLabelMe, we’re not just shining a light on the notion/fact that words do indeed matter…we’re committed to fostering consciousness and conversations around what is often the duality of words and language. It’s beyond the paradox of societal labels being simultaneously helpful (a mental health diagnosis, as an example) and harmful (as a limiting belief/assumption/judgment about that person). What fascinates me is that each one of us has our own particular PERSPECTIVE about the meaning, the definition, the identification with, specific words.

I’ve come to see so clearly that, while it’s simpler for us to move through life and navigate societal norms by using objective definitions as our benchmark, this old-school way of operating just doesn’t hold water anymore. Our subjective lens and beliefs are ours, and ours alone. Whatever you think, or feel, it means to be a “woman” or “man” or “good enough” or “normal” or “queer” or “sensitive” or “bipolar” is. Or what is “Democracy” or “Fascism.” Each of us are on different places on a SPECTRUM around almost anything in life that is about identity, interests, passions, professions, etc. And about any of them, some people love deeply, others loathe, and others don’t give a shit at all. Everyone sits somewhere in that triangle, and it doesn’t make someone right or wrong. It’s just where we’re at. 

Words matter, as does listening to the opinions of others, which has been getting harder and harder to do as the vitriol fomented by social media contributes so powerfully to the fracturing of social mores and thoughtful dialogue, even when people disagree. One of our UnLabelMe T-Shirts says, “Don’t Assume. Just Ask.” If we would all (try to) be just a bit more curious when we hear a label, or listen to someone else’s judgment, or make an assumption, and instead make some inquiry, I believe that we can truly help to lower the temperature and raise the vibration on the planet. Small shifts can, truly, have monumental implications. Polarization is undermining our ability to get along as humans, and we better start finding ways to prioritize our similarities, more than our differences, if we don’t want to continue killing each other all around the world.