Wars. Hate crimes. Tears. Confusion.
Every headline reminds us how divided we’ve become and how deeply we misunderstand one another.
How you see me. How I see you.
The way we see ourselves.
Gay, straight, Black, white, liberal, conservative — we are drowning in labels. They were meant to help us understand each other, to help us connect. But somewhere along the way, they turned into weapons. Walls. “Us” and “them.” “Right” and “wrong.”
One phrase stands out as especially troubling: “People of Color.”
Who decided that one group gets to be “people,” while everyone else requires an adjective? Especially when the majority of the world is non-white, yet “white” remains the default lens through which so much is seen.
Why?
What if we flipped it? Better yet…what if we fixed it?
What if “people” simply meant everyone? What if differences were not dividing lines but descriptions…even expressions of beauty, praise, acknowledgment, awareness? “People in rural Africa need fresh water.” “People from India often arrive at university remarkably prepared.” “People everywhere deserve dignity.”
Language shapes thought. Thought shapes belief. Belief shapes behavior. The words we choose become the world we live in, and when our language divides, our hearts follow. The beautiful truth in that means that when our language unites, our hearts follow too!
What could happen if our words finally aligned with our shared humanity? Maybe everything.
Maybe everything beautiful could happen.
Harvesting Insights 