Labeling Society

In life, people will often find it difficult to pin down what exactly defines them. Human minds branch off into so many areas that their owners are often left at a loss as to what truly define them. In their need for a more complete definition, people turn to society, the general consciousness, and hope that it will sort them into the groups and assign them labels that are suitable for them. Usually, this process works rather well, for society possesses centuries of practice upon which it can rely on in its sorting. Occasionally, however, society will make a mistake, labeling individuals or even whole groups of people as something they are not. It is sometimes difficult to discern why society commits this misattribution, perhaps it is due to
some perceived danger the individual or group presents, but it is almost always to the disadvantage of the slighted party. That party will be left stricken, given the difficult choice of either accepting society’s appalling judgement or striking out down the strange, unknown, and possibly dangerous path of self-definement.

Other groups will advocate for pursuance of the first option, for to disturb society is to disturb them too, and many will cave into this pressure, meekly accepting the definition society has laid out for them, even if it is one that forever condemns them to live as lesser beings. This surrender to injustice, however, is not right. Human beings should not accept to be defined as something they are not, and should instead strike down that other, less traveled path, no matter the cost. People living in a society that does not recognize them as what they are should seek to define themselves according to their own standards and the standards of those closest to them, for, in such a society, those are the only judgements worth adhering too.
Though it has never been an easy task, the development of personal standards that remain untainted by society’s flawed judgements has been proven time and time again to be far within the realm of possibility.
Whether one believes nature or nurture has more of an impact upon the development of a person matters little, for neither one possesses a requirement that society’s opinion be held in any particularly high esteem. For evidence of this claim, one need look no further that the lives and standards of People of Color in the U.S. during the many years in which racial prejudice was rampant in society. Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King Jr. were all treated as inferior beings by society for at least most of their lives(Douglass was even a slave for several years). Despite this, none of them ever professed to share the same view, and were, in fact, quite vocal in their opposition to it. The reasons for this noncompliance were varied, but all included a general disregard for society’s opinion and the decision to place their faith in other places(books, the opinions of their family, etc.). In essence, they found a way to define themselves absent of society, they went down that second path, and with them blazing the trail, others could easily follow in their
footsteps.
Others in a similar situation should strive to follow in their footsteps because it is the only way they will keep that which makes them human. For centuries, it has been widely held(most notably in the U.S. Declaration of Independence) to a be a self-evident truth that all men have the inalienable rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but society’s unjust judgements undermine both. How can a man be free or happy if he is being constantly tied down and insulted by a label that does not reflect his true nature? A person cannot live the full life every human being is entitled to if they meekly accept these conditions. If they want to retain their dignity as a human being, they will have to wholly reject society’s ruling and define themselves by their own standards. Once they have done that, they will have taken their first step towards a true existence.
There are some who would reject this argument, citing the dangerous path ahead and claiming that the possible loss of the inalienable right to live is too great a price to pay for the retainment of liberty or happiness. Their concerns are not unfounded: Martin Luther King Jr. himself lost his life traveling down that path. When weighing this matter, however, one should consider if there are not some things for which death is worth risking. Their efforts will not just help them find their own, true definition, but will also aid others around them in a similar condition, especially the children. One of the key ways children grow to know a different definition than society’s exists is for them to see it in the faces and actions of the adults around them. Perhaps then, it would be worth doing as the great leader A. P. J. Abdul Kalam once said and “sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.” The path of self-definement will require sacrifice. It will possess certain dangers and people pursuing it will encounter difficulties, not only en route but also in the simple discovery of it. The successful completion of the path is possible, however, - it has been proven so many times - and the product is well worth the price. In a society that mistakenly labels people as something they are not, such a course is the only way for them and their children to fully realize their humanity. That is why people should pursue the path with every fiber of their being, no matter if every other group of society contrives to stop them. Eventually, there will come a day when society will have to realize its mistake, a day where society will feel honest remorse and seek to make amends for its wrong. Until that day comes, however, people must continue to forge onward, they must continue to struggle for their definitions, for, as Frederick Douglass would like to say, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress”.