"All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly."
-St. Thomas Aquinas
Labels can be very helpful when shopping for a car, or a computer, or a pair of shoes. They help us organize information and make efficient and generally informed decisions. I know if I buy a Volvo, I’ll get a safe car; a Mac, and I’ll have a trustworthy computer; Cole-Haan, a quality pair of loafers.
But how meaningful are labels when applied to human beings: white, black, believers, non-believers, liberals, conservatives, rich, poor? Is this enough information to really know the individual person you’re trying to cubbyhole? White people are racists. Christians are anti-intellectual. Liberals are atheists. Poor people are lazy. To the reasonable person, these too-broad generalizations, stereotypes, are quickly seen as both ridiculous and unkind.
Yet, we’ve all felt pre-judged, categorized, and rejected based on superficial information that reduces us to demographic categories. And few things hurt more. This doesn’t stop us, however, from being tempted to do the same thing to others. There really is some truth to the adage that we abuse the way we’ve been abused.
Labeling people serves a kind of protective function, which is why it’s done so regularly. We want to know who’s safe and who’s not, who’s reliable and who’s not, who’s good, and who’s not. And we want to know quickly, and we really don’t want there to be any gray area, any room for process and discovery, any mystery. Too much risk and up-front investment.
This is fundamentally fear-based and un-natural. Understandable, but unnatural…because it is not grounded in Love.
“All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.” This from St. Thomas Aquinas, arguably the greatest genius of the last millennium. If anyone understood the powers and limits of the human mind, it was the Angelic Doctor. So, if we can’t figure out the essence of a fly, what do you think the chances are that we’ll be able to fully plumb the mystery of a human being made in the Image of God?
Should we, then, stop trying to think, stop trying to reason, stop trying to figure things out? Of course not. Heaven knows this world could use a little more rationality, and a little less hysteria.
But it does mean that as we live our lives, and try (more days than not) to get along with those around us, we'd do well to respect the dimension of mystery in others, and to practice reason with a good measure of humility and awe!
Question for reflection: How often do you avoid loving by labeling?
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About Me
- Ross Porter
- Dr. Ross Porter received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Master of Divinity (Theology) and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he first became interested in the integration of psychology and spirituality. He is a teacher, author, counselor, and consultant, specializing in integrative psychology, virtue ethics and family systems. He has taught at the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ross is also the Founder and Executive Director of Stillpoint Family Resources, a non-profit organization that offers counseling services to individuals, couples, and families in crisis, with nine different office locations throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties (specific office locations can be found at www.stillpointfamilyresources.org). In 2009, Dr. Porter was named an “Outstanding Angeleno” by the Los Angeles Daily News. Ross and his wife Jennifer have been married for 21 years, and have four beautiful children. John Michael, their son who has Down Syndrome is their first born.
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