How Our Society Can Truly See People Instead of Labels
What would the world look like if we all accepted each other? What would it look like if people were appreciated for what’s on the inside rather than the outside? Would the world be a happier place? Absolutely!
Living in a body without arms as an Inspirational Speaker, I get to look at the world from a different perspective. I often tell my audiences that society is a poor judge of my inner personality because I am often written off because of the way my body looks.
Hannah, my 18 month old daughter, recently learned a new trick on a trip to the northeast. My wife told Hannah to “hold daddy’s hand while we walk” because Joni’s hands were full and we were in a crowded area. Now, before you think my wife was being insensitive, in our family, we exchange the words “foot” and “hand” all of the time when referring to me as my feet serve as my hands. We’ve never gotten hung up on word choices.
What is so inspiring and amazing to me is Hannah’s acceptance of what is “normal” in our family. She doesn’t know any differently, so she treats me with full acceptance and love unlike the world around me that often treats me as handicapped before they get to know me. Hannah’s attitude shows what we all could be like if we simply treated others with respect and love without judging others based on looks.
One of my favorite presentations to give is on seeing others as human beings, full of potential, rather than classifying them with restricting labels. Political correctness has determined that our old labels are no longer appropriate due to changes in society. While making sure we don’t hurt feelings is a good step to take, I often feel that we are missing the bigger picture.
What if, instead of labels, we saw all people as simply, people? If there was no need to classify, we wouldn’t have to come up with creative ways of saying hurtful things. Without labels, everyone in our society would be on equal ground.
Want a world with no war? See the “enemy” as a human being. Want to abolish poverty? See the “homeless” as people. We CAN change the world simply by how we view it. The task is yours, and it begins with changing the way you see the people around you. You can change the world one person at a time.