Dasani

Today, I watched an episode of the Real World New Orleans and Preston was avoiding calling his new love interest his boyfriend because he wasn't a fan of labels. Got me to thinking. Which got me to blogging.

Most of us don't take calling someone our boyfriend or girlfriend very lightly. It's a title that comes along with a huge commitment and a lot of responsibility and effort. The days of putting that label on someone after a few days or weeks are reserved for the immature "love" of middle school. But, why do we need the label?

I believe there are two theories when it comes to this idea. One theory maintains that until two people explicitly state the label, it does not exist and you are free to do as you please. The other theory maintains that some relationships just fall into relationships and there is an implied understanding between two people.

There are pros and cons to both theories. If we see relationships as a precept before marriage, wouldn't we want them to be explicitly stated? It's not as though "I pronounce you husband and wife" can be implied by some reverend somewhere in the air. But, for some people, labels are scary and they suddenly force them to act differently. They are cumbersome and unnecessary.

If in fact you believe in labels, my hope is that you believe in them for yourself and not for the fact that you want to have "in a relationship" as your Facebook status. And, if in fact you do not believe in them, I hope you know that just because something isn't labeled doesn't mean it can't be unlabeled. Meaning, if you fall into a pretty solid relationship without ever calling the other person your significant other, it's still a breakup if you break up. Make sense, kids?

Some things do deserve to be explicitly stated, especially to make sure both parties are on the same page. But, at the end of the day, a bottle of water is still a bottle of water whether there's a blue Dasani sticker on it or not. The Dasani sticker (or Fiji or Deerpark or whatever you drink) only makes it more recognizable and appealing to others. But, when you ingest it, you know what it is.

Love freely,
tY