The Labels
People will label you because it helps them explain the imaginary borders of the world that have been ingrained into their heads from birth. It helps them explain things they don’t understand. And things we don’t understand scare us. This says is much about the labeller, and little about the target being labelled.
The world is organised in part through ideology. Differences in ideologies between societies often drive different interpretations of the world, different behaviour, and the rise of institutions with different structures. In failed states, we see few established institutions.
We see clashes between states over institutes, culture, and history, among other concepts.
I’ve recently been thinking about what the basic building blocks of the organisation of the world could look like. We experienced one of the greatest periods of peace the world has ever seen since the end of 1945 and World War Two, and now we’re leaving that. The world is turning multipolar because the leading superpower is no longer in a position to exact power over the entire world. Axis’ of resistance emerge, and we have the more chaotic world we live in today.
But, if we take it back to basic building blocks, it’s all labels. This isn’t to diminish me and you, and who we are as unique parts of this wonderfully complicated world. But when we take it back to its basic building blocks, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the universe, and so labels that represent current knowledge help us categorize this complexity. It could emerge that we’re completely wrong about everything we hold true. Our reality could be a simulation. There could be a god. Maybe universes form a big bounce. Who knows. All we can do is create a thesis, stress that versus any antithesis, and a new synthesis formed becomes our thesis for how a concept works going forward. We do this over and over.
This leads me to ask why we fight when we all truly want to survive. It’s human nature, and that’s why we label things. It reduces uncertainty. In the past, being uncertain if a rustling in the trees was a lion or a bird was the difference between life and death. This human nature for survival remains with us and drives many modern behaviours.
We aren’t yet in a position where we can all fulfil our basic human necessities, otherwise, world hunger and lack of access to clean water wouldn’t be an issue. The fact that some don’t have access to basic necessities while some live every day not fearing for survival is an extreme example of why we’re entering a multipolar world. If some leader believes their position in the world order is declining or under threat, then they will seek to change that world system. This can take many forms.
But, it all comes back to labels. It’s how we perceive reality and make decisions. But at its basic level, it’s a building block. A building block that we clash with others over. History and culture also contribute heavily to this, and these labels separate us. As I stated earlier, this isn’t to diminish our uniqueness, it’s to celebrate it.
How can we create a system in which the building blocks satisfy all stakeholders?
Firstly, we need to recognise similarities and differences but build a system in which a pillar of the overall structure is our similarities. Dialogue is a must, and compromise and collaboration contribute to the basic building blocks. We also can’t ignore the existence of power. These situations have the potential to spiral and escalate, but it isn’t inevitable. It’s all labels.
I think this rambling is me wondering if a thing can’t just be a thing. Does it have to become an aspect of disagreement between people of different ideas and beliefs that is founded in hate? Is it human nature to judge? I find I’m happier if I just allow a thing to be that thing, especially if that thing is happy itself. Sure, that “thing” can be stress tested. Thesis and antithesis need the other to exist even as a concept. But then again, it’s all labels, right?
Allow a person to be the person they want to be, uninterrupted, unjudged. We then could see bad actors emerge into our basic building block system of the world. How can we counter these? Have I created the current situation we find ourselves in within a multipolar world with my own thoughtless rambling?
It’s a lot of questions I don’t know the answer to, and nobody has all the answers, so you’re now reading this piece, and I hope also pondering these questions I don’t know the answer to. There’s going to be a lot I’ve missed, but I hope it gets you thinking, as it has for me.
One day, I foresee a world where everyone has access to the necessities they require. I believe we have to head space-bound first, to mine asteroids for raw materials and make further developments with clean water and agriculture. But one day, we’ll get there. I believe it’s then that we need to consider the basic building blocks of our world. It is human nature to fight for survival, but if there is enough for everyone to survive, what’s the fight for? Everyone can have enough, but the current building blocks of the system we live in are built on stilts for some, while others struggle at the bottom without a ladder.
Aside from fighting bad actors, who will always emerge, it’s just labels. Today, people label you to aid their own personal understanding of how the world works. In this future hypothetical world, or even in our world today, how can anybody label you and try to put you in a lane, when you’re building an entirely new road?
I have been waiting for this kind of a post about labels. For too many people, labels serve as a means for not taking the time or making the effort to really understand something or someone. I think it is a smart exercise to ask one's self about how we all apply labels and what the effect of doing so is.
Great article, the labels thing drive me crazy and also drives the country, the world into corners. It's a sad fact that lazy thinking, group think is plentiful.
Take a side already!! Oh you don't like either party, you're just a Uniparty sheeple. I find it helps them keep the narrative guarded and protected in their heads. The labels create a soft and fuzzy spot for biases to persist and flourish.
Don't ruin the narrative please, or I will find a good label for you.