An invitation to a world without labels

            We change all the time. We think we hardly notice these changes and then one day you are a completely other person. Funny thing about change is that with each change you dread it beforehand, yet, once you are this new change you cannot imagine being anything else. 

        This has me thinking of the fundamentals. Meaning, what aspects of me might be immutable, if such a thing even exists? well, the fact that I feel all people deserve common respect has stayed the same. The fact that I love stories about the magic of the "human experience" has not changed. Fundamentally, I am still the same Miriam who wants the best for all people I meet and feels that 99.99% of humans are filled with goodness.  But on the peripherals I am, to an outsider, I may seems completely different from myself even 3 years ago.

        All this brings me to the fact that we humans are MUCH more complex than we give ourselves credit for. Cancel culture will have us think we must, without exception, toss a person in the proverbial trash, no questions asked, for even the most singular mistake. But can our value, as humans, be boiled down to one experience, one thought pattern, one act?  Are we all that infallible that we would back up this judicial method to address all issues of wrongdoings? I certainly hope not, because if that were the case, I would have also been in the trash in my teens, my 20s, in my 30s and then again now, in my 40s for I have said and done stupid things all the way up to last week even....

         Perhaps the issue lies in the boxes we make for ourselves and others that get us in trouble. Humans placed in boxes do not easily allow for these very same humans to then easily shift, morph, adapt, edit and grow into new, more refined versions of ourselves. For example, in today's world, we hear the word "democrat" or "republican" and most instantly pull up a long mental list of all the things this person must be, think or do. It's no wonder then, when even the tiniest item on that long list does not align or fit with the box we have built around them, lots of grief and confusion occur. 

        I grew up in NYC, which we all know to be a very progressive city. Having grown up there, not one cell in my body ever doubted that all republicans are evil and hate-filled. That is, until, I finally met, worked with and befriended many republicans here in Virginia and learned just how huge this lie was. I must add also that not only were the republicans I met not hate-filled, but they were oftentimes more accepting of differences and incredibly well-informed. What a great lesson to learn for me. I feel so blessed to have had the luxury to see the world from such divergent perspectives. Today, I don't identify with any party, in fact, I reject all labels. Labels are completely useless boxes that keep us from really getting to know the incredible amazing, complex human standing right beside you. 

       In everything I do I try to model this. Through my actions I encourage others to forgo the labels long enough to see the real human before you. In the way I live, I hope to encourage others to take their ideas, thoughts and assumptions off automatic and dare to trust your own wisdom, your own inner voice to help you navigate friendships, colleagues, strangers, and even whole cities.