Welcome to Gaia! ::

I’ll erase this feeling…
I still have a long life don’t I?
kono omoi wo keshiteshimau ni ha
mada jinsei nagai deshou?

After reading through a thread in a pagan guild, this has always made me wonder:

During school we're constantly labeled either negative or positive things by our peers. The negative labels affect certain people negatively by causing them to be bullied, have emotional breakdowns, be suicidal, have low self-esteem, have low confidence, etc. But the positive helps them be better?

People are more effected by negative labels such as freak, loser, dork, nerd, geek, etc. I mean we've all been called horrible things and it's broken us down to almost nothing even when we're at our highest, so why do we do it to other people?

Now here's where I through religion in: Why do we label ourselves as Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, JW, SDA, Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Angelican, etc? Why do we alienate those who are Jewish, Muslim, Neo-Pagan, Asatrur, Hellenic, Witch, Wiccan, Thelemite, Shintoist, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, Hindu, etc? Is it because that's how it's been taught for centuries? Is it because that's what our parents teach us? Is it because that's what our pastors teach us?

If what we're taught in school is to treat others as we would like to be treated and treat others as our equals then when is it okay outside of school to alienate someone? Does that mean discrimination is okay? Does that make violence against a certain race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation right?

Personally I believe that labeling others causes nothing more than division and fighting. It can create animosity among people. It can cause violence against one group. Much of the violence be it ethnic cleansing or lynching starting with just one label. Then it evolved to stereotypes, etc.

I believe in the simple old saying in sociology: "Label jars not people."

I’m missing the feeling…
so this pain is also welcomed!
natsukashiku naru
konna itami mo kangeijan

I think that was more so his job title than his actually label. Jesus would've been Jesus the Carpenter or Jesus the Healer for example.

I’ll erase this feeling…
I still have a long life don’t I?
kono omoi wo keshiteshimau ni ha
mada jinsei nagai deshou?

Except from a sociological standpoint what we may perceive to be sound or unsound, good or eternal damnation is merely subjective. One could view being an Asatrur and dying a noble warriors death and going to Valhalla where you eat and fight for eternity is good but dying peacefully would be eternal damnation would be the right path versus a Buddhist being peaceful and meditating so he/she would attain a state of Nirvana, etc.

In other words what you may think is sound or unsound or good or eternal damnation isn't as black and white as you think. And the age old arguement "Well in the Bible it says this this and this so it is right" isn't a good one to use..

I’m missing the feeling…
so this pain is also welcomed!
natsukashiku naru
konna itami mo kangeijan