In the name of love: John Mason resists labels

28 Jul 2022 | by John Mason

‘Once the relationship has been labelled, it is subtly transformed.’

'Alice is simply doing what Love requires, acting because acting is possible and apparently needed. The label would never have occurred to her.' | Photo: by engin akyurt on Unsplash

‘Doing what Love requires’ and ‘Being led by the spirit’ are used to describe both an experience, and an assumption by an observer to account for observed behaviour. But when specific actions are described and labelled, the labels themselves can become imperatives, and can even be used as admonitions. Consider two examples.

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