I was scrolling down Facebook on my phone today when I was finally annoyed enough to start thinking about those silly quizzes that are plastered all over the pages of my friends and family.
What kind of candy bar are you?
If you were a bug what bug would you be?
Which music genre are you?
What 80’s teen movie are you?
Really? As much as I roll my eyes at these social quizzes I’m still curious to see which color of the rainbow I would be if I answered the right way.
But I question why we have such a craving to label ourselves, to find meaning behind our idiosyncrasies and find comfort in either being normal or standing out.
My first thought is that we NEED these labels because we want a sense of worth, uniqueness, and security in ourselves. And that seems like a legitimate conclusion but then I think about why we need them so badly. Why do we need to fit into a category?
Perhaps because we find stability in it. I know that the sultry 50’s Hollywood actress I would have been won’t give me a sense of belonging, but it will allow me to feel a bond with someone. Even if I don’t know that someone.
We need people. Connections. Belonging. Even if from a distance. We crave a tribe. It’s human nature to love, care, and empathize with others.
When I am alone, which is often, I crave my people. My love. My children. My family. I want to know that they love me. That they care, even if they don’t say it. I want to know that they feel and know how they are loved and cared for. I need my tribe. But when I can’t be near them I crave a connection… a belonging. It’s why I love to love. And perhaps why we turn to the gods at our lowest times and happiest of times… because we want to share those moments with someone.
So I’ll roll my eyes the next time I see which tic tac flavor I am inside but I might answer the 8 questions and smile at the outcome… Perhaps I’ll be able to share that label with the other tic tacs out there like me 🙂
In general, we need our people. Don’t miss an opportunity to tell your people you love them. Don’t take them for granted. Its why we are here. Share the moments.
Jane Fox Art 