Posts Tagged: not knowing people’s real names

“LABELS?  OR NAMES?”

On August 2, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

My wife and I were talking about labels today.

No, we were not discussing labels on canned goods or jelly jars. We were discussing labels for people.  My wife often provokes me to say something wise.  She did that this morning.

“I think the labels we give people gives us the illusion of knowing them, while we really don’t know them at all,” I said.  And then I added, “The only label that we should use for people is their name.”

But, of course, we don’t know people’s real names either, do we?

Take the labels “liberal” and “conservative,” for example.  I describe myself as fairly conservative theologically, but fairly liberal politically.  I have a guy on my softball team who describes himself as an “ultra-conservative.”  But the question that I asked him is the same I ask everyone and myself as well: “What are you conserving?”

In fact, I need to ask myself two questions: “What am I conserving? About what am I being liberal?”  Simply labeling myself is as pointless as labeling other people.

And what is my name?

Both the Old and New Testament talk a lot about names.  They also talk a lot about having a change of names.

In a previous blog posted on this site, I wrote about my struggle with depression.  That post is called “A Man Named Forgiven.”  You can go back and read it, if you like.

But, in the context of labels and names, I need to remember that I don’t know the real name of anyone I encounter today.  I don’t know the real name of the guys on my softball team.  I don’t even know the real name of my wife of forty-five years.

And I dare not label anyone.  Why?  Because labeling is a shortcut for trying to really understand them.  If I really know their name/s, I don’t need shortcuts, and if I don’t really know their names, a shortcut is another term for a dead end.

Perhaps I shouldn’t even label myself.  Perhaps that is a dead end as well.

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