throwing on robe, i sneak the computer to a dark corner of the house hiding from any other bathroom seekers. words matter, i guess, and yet they stump me. that is the thought that lures me out of bed to the key pad to write down any sensible thoughts before they vanish like a dream.
words. labels. meaning different things to different people, different cultures. here's a few i'm pondering...
organic - a word worthy of trust? or a new cliche that eases my conscious to consume anything with this label? the mind resists asking if a pocket is growing while mine is shrinking to purchase this label? is pasteurization organic? contemplating if this label organic really means the same thing to all people, all manufacturers. unsure i know what it's suppose to mean, but it's popularity is unmatched, that I know. and a label to cling to when i feel insecure, when lazy parenting finds me unwilling to give focused play. at least they are filled with the organic to guarantee their longevity. right? webster defines it as "of, relating to, or derived from living organisms." this definition describes the water in many countries around the globe yet i know the effects of drinking it. my confusion is honest and obvious. on to another word...
white- the color of my robe and the color of my skin? a color and a person? me? how and when did light translate to white? what is really at the root of this label? is this my identity to the One who gave me life or merely a human label to define something deeper than the outward tent that keeps my organs contained? does it reek of privilege? emptiness vibrates from it as it is void of sharing history or heritage. or does it? and it's counterpart, caucasian, a word beckoning for the use of the spell check every time.
black - i tread upon this carefully for i have never felt the effects, positive or negative, of this word defining me. (remember, i am the white robe??) each morning i lather the beautiful golden brown skin till is glows and wonder why it's called black? or is it? does black define a shade or something more intense with greater emotion? does brown outer tissue make one black? again, i ask this honestly trying to understand the rules of the imposing cultures. am i speaking of one's identity with this word? i seek to understand, to be educated when i use such labels.
educated, healthy, christian, religion, American... more labels... i'll save my questions for another day...
because my dark corner is being threatened by mornings glow and the bathroom is beginning to call little ones too early for my liking. words are a gift. our ability to define is important. labels, while helpful, often prevent the eye from seeing what is truly underneath. sometimes murky waters lie quiet below culturally accepted labels. whether i'm embracing or casting a certain label i must stop long enough to ask why.
a wise women once said "everything will fall under a label eventually" but she also said "don't fence me in."
educated, healthy, christian, religion, American... more labels... i'll save my questions for another day...
because my dark corner is being threatened by mornings glow and the bathroom is beginning to call little ones too early for my liking. words are a gift. our ability to define is important. labels, while helpful, often prevent the eye from seeing what is truly underneath. sometimes murky waters lie quiet below culturally accepted labels. whether i'm embracing or casting a certain label i must stop long enough to ask why.
a wise women once said "everything will fall under a label eventually" but she also said "don't fence me in."
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