Words Are Power, but Don't Give Them Too Much

A passage in a fabulous book I am slowly making my way through encouraged me to write yet again today. There is so much to share every day upon this earth and moments to cherish are numerous and often missed.

"Words are merely utterances: noises that stand for feelings, thoughts, and experience. They are symbols. Signs. Insignias. They are not truth. They are not the real thing."

Labels. Left unchecked, unmanaged and used liberally can destroy individuality, desire and dampen or extinguish the spirit. Liar. Cheat. Whore. Degenerate. Grifter. Sensitive. Depressant. Manic. Alcoholic. Addict. Spendthrift. Alien. Trash. Loser. To label is surely to condemn. To label is to die...inside. Who we are is not to be contained, corraled or masquearaded by idioms or phrases. To classify oneself or others is to whittle down the blade of humanity, to fray the tapestry, to remove the strength of ourselves as individuals, as God's essence, as divine energy is akin to removing the locks of Sampson.

Grow your tresses long--place no limits upon oneself or allow it from others. As soon as we accept a word as our label, we place our soul within a box. Because you think or worry about one instance in one day, you are not 'alcoholic, addict or obsessive.' While there may be elements of such in your story, your history, you are merely human; as humans, we maintain the right to imperfection and fault--perfection is an ideal and fruitless if sought.

Because you feel lonely, crestfallen or isolated, do not allow yourself to expect that your position and attitude are inexcuseable. No one is concerned with your label but you. What was once dark can be light again. The dark hole which you call 'home' is only as deep as you allow it. It is only home if you decorate it with fancy furnishings and persian rugs. Remember though, that all of the artwork in the world will not fancify a hole for it is just a hole. It becomes darker and deeper with our misery, our perceptions, our judgements and our actions--our resistance of the universe. People, excuses, labels, material goods, love--these things cannot fill the hole if the inhabitant tosses out each load of dirt as it is placed. A little dirt is good for us. Leave it be and ask for more.