Life & Politics Beyond Labels
Poetic Questions For The New Year
Might people stumble and wander / for not knowing the right words, and get lost in their wandering…–William Stafford
Most political and personal labels parade about as if they are adding to our insight and understanding. Most often, they do not. Most such labels are so abstract and therefore meaningless that their only use is to either bludgeon or confuse.
Most labels are like a box of fishing hooks, into which we continually dip our hands.
Capitalist! Socialist! Liberal! Progressive! Conservative! Communist! Libertarian! Consumer! Enlightened! Politically Correct! Straight-shooter!
We hear these words, and we nod at each other as if there were anything close to agreement on what they mean. Why? We want shortcuts. We want quick ways to understand our complex world. But at what cost?
I want to know what you actually believe, and what you will do.
Most labels tell just enough truth that we miss their humungous lies. They are cliches that retard thinking. They manipulate by giving us a sense of understanding things we clearly do not. They homogenize and squeeze out the complexity of our human feelings and motivations.
Enter the poetic question.
