Labels can apply to anyone but they don’t show you what the person is like for being themselves, who is the person beyond those labels
Like, Don’t judge a book by it’s cover?
Similar to the labels quote, the phrase “Nothing about us, without us” has been popular in marginalised groups.
“Autism Speaks” comes to mind.
I had never heard of this phrase before but I like it because it summarises the issue of people of marginalised groups not being involved in decision making and I hate that issue because only the people of those marginalised groups know what they need best but they aren’t given an opportunity to be involved
I think people should learn to recognize their own feelings instead of reporting whatever feeling is predicted by their mental model of their self.
Withholding judgement on someone’s words until you see their actions is an important one to me. As is the flip-side to that - if someone shows you who they are: believe them.
Public figures are good practice for fine-tuning your response to both of these.
Call yourself what you like, declare your position this way or that, fine, but Actions > Words.
If you’re patient you won’t have to guess – people will show you their worth, quite eagerly.
All labels create division, intended or not. There is oneness in all living beings, we know this when we are born, but by the age of 5, we develop our own identity, we see the you & I as separate, the haves & the have nots, & suddenly we have two-ness. Early Eastern religions also taught this.
