Observations: Brand New Things
Perhaps with the exception of cars, homes, and other long-term use things we acquire, we don’t often buy things that have been used. Instead, we typically want things to be shiny, untouched, and “brand new.
The truth is that even new things have a history.
Think about the last present you opened. Whatever it may have been, it was probably more complex than consisting of something in its natural state.
The last gift I opened had a printed cardboard box, multiple plastic pieces, a glass light bulb, and lots of other parts that required assembly, transportation, and other work. When we encounter anything for the first time, I think we often forget all of that. The many things that made, molded, and moved what lies before us.
I think this is often true of our first encounters with people. First impressions, right? When it comes to those we meet, first impressions tend to guide all our opinions, interactions, and choices moving forward with that person.
Sometimes, though, we don’t even allow people much time to make impressions. Sometimes, we stop at the label.
So often, our culture today is obsessed with labels. We seemingly want to put everyone into separate groups to simplify interactions with them, and perhaps to justify our impressions (read: generalizations), whether they’re fair or not.
Upon writing all this, I’m thinking about people who, among the many things they do in their lifetime, immigrate to this country. I think many Utahns tend to put labels on such people.
They tend to want to apply a label the second the person arrives in this part of the world that they believe sums up the labeled.
This is obviously untrue.
So much—so very much—has gone into making, molding, and moving these human beings. What has happened before in their lives is of the utmost importance to be understood and appreciated.
None of us are easily labeled. None of us are easily judged. We are all complex and full of potential for good. Just the same, all our new holiday or other gifts are full of potential and history.
It’s unfortunate that America seems to need to keep relearning this lesson every generation or so, but alas, it seems we do, once again.