[Insert Title Here]

NOTE: The foundation of this post is based on a couple of extremely substantial assumptions:

1. That there is a Supreme Power in the Universe
2. That that Power is God
3. That that God created the most fundamental part of humankind out of the same matter of which God consists, thereby making us, literally, children of God
4. That we (all of humankind), as children of God, have a unique and greater capacity than any other entity on Earth

Before I begin, I just want to clarify that I don't expect everyone reading this to automatically embrace those four assumptions as Truth. I am, however, asking you to indulge me for a moment so that the actual substance of this post can be analyzed objectively. That being said, lets get to the good part... 

In the book You Are Special, the people in the village where the story takes place had a very unusual hobby. "All day, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing: They gave each other stickers." The pretty and popular Wemmicks got stars and the ugly and unremarkable Wemmicks received dots.  At first glance, this ritualistic practice seems humorously juvenile... until we turn on our television sets. Almost immediately, phrases such as "illegal alien," "mormon," "treehugger," "gay," "beautiful," "republican," and "handicapped" fly through the air around us.  In our world there are titles for business, others for academics, and still others for social interactions. One by one we classify those around us, recklessly tossing out titles as we silently affix our respective dots and stars onto the hearts and minds of our next-door neighbors.

There is quite a bit of controversy on whether it is acceptable to utilize certain titles. I have heard of multiple studies that have been carried out in an attempt to ascertain the effect that the use of labels has on an individual. After learning about such studies for the 14 years following the first presentation about bullying in my Kindergarten class, I finally started wondering about the validity of those studies. In my mind, it makes sense that derogatory terms would be detrimental to the well-being of  an individual. But I also realized that sugar-coating an idea with a nice name wouldn't change the immediate situation in the slightest. Does the decision of whether we call a person an "illegal alien" or an "undocumented worker" alter the fact that the individual entered a country in a way that was contrary to the laws of the land?  Or, on the flip side, does the fact that we give everyone certificates of participation really change the fact that the girl who built the rocket ship for her 6th grade science fair project is genuinely academically superior to the kids playing with baking soda and vinegar? ...Would a rose by any other name actually smell as sweet?

It was in the midst of these thoughts that reality came and smacked me square in the face. It felt like that moment when you are walking down a staircase with the lights off (not a bright idea) and you get to what you think is the bottom of the staircase but there is actually one more step and for a split second, your sense of reality goes spinning off balance - right before you jump up and look around as if to say "hehe. how long has THAT been there?" Anyways, this was the thought: Its not that all labels are inherently "right" or "wrong" - or even that they are "good" or "bad" ...Its just that they are meaningless.  In the shining truth that we are all children of God, what does it matter if we are "black" or "white" or "smart" or "slow" or "ugly" or "beautiful?" Obviously, those attributes are important aspects of our identity, but when held to the flame of the truth of who we really are, all of our labels and titles are nothing but a spark; fun, beautiful and enticing, but providing insufficient warmth and poised to burn out in less than a moment.

In the book You Are Special, the main character, Punchinello is fed up with the idea of stars and dots until he meets a girl who doesn't have any dots or stars at all: she is "just wooden." Amazed, Punchinello asks the all-knowing woodcarver, Eli how the girl does it. Eli patiently responds, "Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think. The stickers only stick if you let them. Who are they to give stars or dots? They are Wemmicks just like you. What they think doesn't matter, Punchinello. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special, because you are mine."

What does it mean to literally belong to God?  What is the worth of a Child of the Most High? Beneath the dots and stars it is so easy to forget that we are all "simply wooden." Yet God invites us “to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 26:32). I'm not suggesting we do away with classification altogether, titles are useful when explaining to others the things that we do. I'm just requesting that we remember who we are and that we be cautious with how we define ourselves because titles have a tendency to stick.