Strategy 2030

All clothes come with labels. The same could be said for humans too. The moment we leave the factory we attend the assembly and receive the tags that shall hang from our bodies for the rest of our lives. Some are large enough to cover our entire skin- helpfully colour-coded to help us tell at a glance the culture and race we derive from. Some labels, such as the unsightly tag that hangs between every little boy’s legs, may seem permanent and irremovable while others are more flexible; subtly hidden beneath the surface. Waiting to be discovered by those willing to understand.

          Everyone treats their labels differently. Some wear with pride, as symbols of status whereas others see them as imprinted irritants; signals for inequality. More often they are ignored; seen as nothing more than useless flaps that simply exist to hang unnoticed. Many people may try to cut out the labels entirely but they can never be thrown away entirely. There will always be a thin unremovable strip of satin leftover- its ends only made sharper. A reminder of the persistence and futility of removing that which we find unpleasant.    

          Labels are made to stick, like woven artefacts of fate, they have their uses. There is much we can learn from them, They are our reminders of who we are and where have come from. Without their warnings and guidance, there would be nothing to stop us from shrinking back into intolerance.  

Nevertheless, we should not be afraid to ignore the recommended settings from time to time. Part of living is wear and tear. Who says black must not go with white? What’s the worst that could happen if we let the socially anxious out in direct sunlight? And maybe the closet isn’t the best place to store those rainbow colours? Close attention must be paid to the country of manufacture too- people don’t realise how much depends on foreign imports in today’s world.

          Not all labels are good for us. Some labels are harmful, like tiny nooses hanging behind our necks. They come from the worst brands too. Hateful slurs masquerading as trendy monikers designed to make others feel less like unique people and more like unwanted products of society. So, the next time you hear someone dealing in such malicious wares, pay close attention to the words and labels they are wearing- they may just end in ‘ist’ or ‘phobe’…

Beware lines threaded from bigotry. Even when they’re worn by those in your own family. Their slogans may be catchy and it might feel comfortable to wear the clothes of indignation. It’s no good accepting the worn-out hand-me-downs of our parent’s generation. Nobody should have to carry a hurtful label; one woven from a repressed sweatshop of bitterness and resentment. These ones always seem the heaviest and hardest to carry. Some days it can feel like there’s no point going out with such an awful label attached to our person.

          Still, there’s no need for fear. These particular labels can be removed easily with the right care. Tolerance and understanding can be great shears when dealing with such difficult material. We can live without such dreadful stubs- they’re decades out of date anyway. Despite what they tell us, nobody deserves a manufacturer’s recall.

At the end of the day, as we’re all crammed together in the giant wash basket that is Earth.  Despite the amount of labels we carry and the number of variations. There are no defects. So let’s keep our labels and learn what we can from them so that everyone may be able to walk the streets, comfortable in their own skin.

          Free from restriction.

          Open to opportunity.