“Why have we kept own names? Out of habit, purely out of habit.
To make ourselves unrecognizable in turn.
To render imperceptible, not ourselves, but what makes us act, feel, and think.
Also because it’s nice to talk like everybody else,
to say the sun rises, when everybody knows it’s only a manner of speaking.
To reach, not the point where one no longer says I,
but the point where it is no longer of any importance whether one says I.
We are no longer ourselves. Each will know his own.
We have been aided, inspired, multiplied.”
A Thousand Plateaus

by Aydasara Ortega

Nowadays classifying people, on race for example, continues to be a habit perpetuated by some. However, the habit is haunted. Awareness of how classifying mainly serves the purpose of dividing, of distancing, alerts socially conscious minds.Just the fact that people are much more alike than they are different brings up the question of: WHY divide people to classify them? Different appearances mostly happen either because of environmental effects or because each one chooses a particular way of “appearing”.  And, WHY not? “Since each of us was several, there was already quite a crowd.”

Things would progress faster and further if we would question: WHY do we classify people? Is it with a helpful intention in mind? Or does it result in divisions that are as superficial and harmful as they are unnecessary?

“We have assigned clever pseudonyms to prevent recognition.”

WHY don’t we instead welcome plurality! Let’s enable, expect and encourage multiplicity while simultaneously acknowledging the marvelous singularity of life.

“We have made use of everything that came within range, what was closest as well as farthest away.”