I wake up every morning hoping for peace, but the moment I open Facebook, the noise begins. It’s not just the headlines or the news anymore—it’s the comments. It's people judging each other, labeling each other, and refusing to see beyond the surface. I used to have my feed curated to focus on motivational quotes, funny memes, and positivity. Now it's all division and hate no matter how much I try to block it out. It's exhausting, and it ruins my day before it even starts.
People are so caught up in assumptions, refusing to believe that symbols can have different meanings for different people. For example, I read this post about a man who broke down on the side of the road and was helped by someone wearing a Confederate flag. Instead of acknowledging the kindness, people attacked the story, saying they would never accept help from someone with that flag. What is wrong with us? Are we really so far gone that we’d rather suffer than allow someone with a different perspective to help us? I don't buy it!
I was raised with values that taught me to love others, to help neighbors and strangers alike. Being southern to me isn’t about hatred or oppression—it’s about humility, kindness, and strength. But now, just saying you’re proud of where you come from feels like a crime. People assume I’m defending hate because I value the culture and community I grew up with. But here’s the thing—I’m not my ancestors. I won’t define myself by their mistakes, just like I wouldn’t expect others to be punished for the actions of people who came before them. We all make mistakes. We learn, we grow, and we move forward.
And that’s what gets me. People claim they’re all about growth and progress, but we still cling to these rigid labels. We’ve created a world where everything has to fit neatly into categories. In school, we were taught to appreciate diversity, but instead of fostering individuality, it turned into more division. We were boxed into groups: race, gender, class, region. Instead of seeing each other as individuals with complex experiences, society trained us to judge based on labels.
It’s the same story with mental health and education. My husband, my son, my brother, and many other men I knew, were all labeled as "not college material." They were told they wouldn’t go far in life because they didn’t fit the traditional academic mold. But these are some of the hardest-working, most capable people I know. They didn’t need a degree to prove their worth. Yet society continues to push this narrative that success is defined by college and white-collar jobs, while those with different strengths are overlooked.
We do this with words too. I can’t even say “commit suicide” anymore because the word "commit" is suddenly offensive. Apparently, it carries too much baggage. Now we have to say "completed suicide," as if changing the wording somehow erases the pain. Words that have been accepted for generations are being redefined, but when people like me try to express differing perspectives on symbols like the Confederate Flag, we’re told "you can’t do that."
Who decides what can change and what can’t?
I’m tired of it. I refuse to judge people by labels. I judge them by how they treat others. And even then, I try to understand where their actions come from. I’ve watched humanity for a long time, and I’ve learned that people often act out of pain, fear, or ignorance. It’s not my job to hate them for that. I want to understand them, to see things from their perspective. Maybe that’s just how I’m wired, always trying to find the connection between things.
But I’ve also seen how people hold onto labels to feel a sense of belonging. They latch onto identities like "INFJ" or "conservative" or "liberal" because it gives them a sense of community. They don’t realize that those same labels are what divide us. Once you define yourself by a label, you give others the power to judge you by it. It’s a trap, and most people don’t even realize they’re caught in it.
I get it—people are scared of being alone. They cling to labels to feel connected. But at what cost? We’re losing the ability to see each other as individuals. We need to stop judging books by their covers and start asking real questions: "What does this mean to you? What’s your story?" Until we do that, we’ll stay stuck in this endless cycle of division and conflict.
I know who I am. I know my experiences, and I stand by them. I don’t expect everyone to understand my perspective. People see the world differently based on their experiences, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is pretending that one perspective has all the answers. The world is too complex for that. We need to stop shouting over each other and start listening.
Until then, I’ll keep speaking up. I won’t be silenced by people who refuse to see beyond their own assumptions. I’m here, and I’m not backing down.
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