Labels…?

Have you ever felt like you didn’t know what you were doing or why? Have you ever had a million and one questions about your life’s purpose run through your head? And have you ever wondered why you were fighting all these fights? Let’s face it, as human beings we are in constant fight with something – be it at work, we are fighting to grow further; in love, we are fighting to keep the relationship going; in society, we are fighting for acceptance… There is always a war we are submerged in. And it makes me wonder: is it worth it?

Let’s consider this together: if we spend all our life fighting and combating – each other and the unseen – what good is it gonna do us? Life as we know it ends by death, so why do we fight? We are going to die eventually (apologies to those who have been intentionally ignoring the idea). I mean, ever since we come to this world, our first war is fighting for air to continue living. And if we don’t have the common sense for it, the doctor would spank us on the ass to make us cry, and thus get air into our lungs… I shall not linger on the whole human war we are in, but I wonder: why do we fight?

I remember the rejection I faced when I first came out, and the struggle for acceptance. I remember the rebelliousness inside my soul to break down the chains of society’s hatred, and try to make them see I was just like them – I eat, drink, sleep, work, play, study… just as they did. The only difference was in bed, amongst the four walls of our rooms – that private little area everyone seems to want to invade. I paid a price for it, I remember well… And now, as I’ve matured and won the war against my own weakness (aka lack of self confidence and the need to be accepted), I have become an activist because I know the world should be a better place to live; because each and every individual – gay, straight, bi, queer, you name it – should be treated as a human being, and should have the right to a decent life. Cause what goes on in my bedroom is none of anyone’s business.

But still, I look around and I feel the disappointment. The world, despite all the so-called progress, has become a “tighter” place, full of racism and hate, even amog monority groups (who are, by the way, the people I am fighting for). We are labeling everything and everyone! So-and-so is black, or Jewish, or straight, or top, or bottom, or butch, or femme… everything has to have a label, as if it were a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes. Even amogst the “monotiry” groups, we discirminate…

Why? This is a question that remains unanswered… Why this discirmination? Why the labeling? Why can’t we simply accept each other for who we are, human beings? Some times I feel like we have become a piece of merchandise; if we are not labeled, we are not good enough quality. It is sad…