Put a check in the box

Now I have another question...

Is any one person a box that can be checked? Or are we all just going through life making choices that seem like the right thing to do at the time, even if they're not?

For me, could I mark the box for Selfish? Because I can be this, a lot. But if I also check the box for Giving, does that make me a hypocrite? Because I can be this too.

I think what I find frustrating is that most people feel that you need to be one thing or another. If you have made a certain decision then you must make that same decision again because with that first decision you've made up your mind. I don't know about you but when I decide something, I should always reserve the right to change my mind, because I often do.

I should add that it is one of my pet peeves to be put into a "box". In fact, there are times I will purposely challenge someones perception of me so they can un-check me out of whatever box I think they've put me in. The thing is, I don't think I should be defined by my decisions, and neither should anyone else.

That's not to say that I don't have opinions, I have a ton of those. :) But those opinions aren't absolute, they don't require that I label you as something. They are just opinions, mostly in comparison to my own perception of things that I have derived from my own life experiences. Therefore, they are constantly evolving, as I hope I am.

I wonder if I'm conveying the honesty that I should with this blog. There are specific examples of label's being put on me that I'm thinking of but it would expose a lot of myself to share them. I'm worried that if I were to share them that I would be setting myself up for that very thing I'm trying to avoid.

Being put in a box and labled for easy filing.

What makes us do that anyway? What makes us define people based on their behavior? Why don't we all look at each other, as well as ourselves as people going through life like everyone else, without deciding for them, who they are?

I must confess, I rarely, if ever, have strong feelings about someone that would characterize them as something or another. Does that make me self-centered? I think that it makes me respectful, both in honoring each person's experience and holding tight to my own.

So here's my promise, I won't put you in a box, if you don't put me in one either. :)