Learning not to misuse groups, categories and labels

I've been thinking about how to explain what I'm practicing and promoting in relation to dividing people into groups and categories, and the labeling associated with that. What I'm practicing and promoting is far from clear to me, and it looks to me now like it might take a lot more time, and a lot more practice, for me to find ways to explain it that will make sense to anyone but me.

For now I'll just put down some random thoughts as they come to me.

1. I think of people as being randomly scattered across a continuum of variations in personality and behavior, rather than being neatly divided into separate groups and categories, and I'm trying to learn to always keep that in mind in discussions of social issues.

2. I don't think any group or category label attached to a person, by herself or by others, tells me anything whatsoever about her personality, character, ideology, interests, motives, purposes or capacities, and I'm trying to learn to always remember that. I also want to learn not to use any group or category labels in my conversations to try to convey any of my ideas or impressions about anyone's personality, character, ideology, interests, motives, purposes or capacities.

3. I'm trying to learn to strictly avoid associating any kind of personality, character, ideology, interests, motives, purposes or capacities, with any group or category of people, even implicitly, in my conversations.

4. I'm trying to learn to never depreciate anyone, and to free myself from all ill will.

5. I'm practicing fellowship and collaboration with some of the people whose ideologies are most opposed to mine, in my view or theirs.

Two social issues that concern me most of all now are the ravaging that I see intertwined with global monopoly games; and animosities and hostilities between Christians and Muslims, which I see as part of the desperate dying convulsions of prejudices used to rally support for the ravaging, and threatening to blow up the world. Part of what I see facilitating all that, is associating personality and character defects with groups and categories of people.

What motivates me in these efforts is not any hope of ever seeing any results from them, in anyone else's behavior. This is just part of what I'm doing to try to help improve the world, even if I never get to see any improvements in other people's behavior that might result from it.

I want to say that I see some deeper and more urgent problems in the growing and spreading alarm and anger that are fueling the animosities and hostilities, and in the moral and spiritual vacuum in which any excuse will do, for people to indulge their most treacherous, cruel and violent impulses, but I won't go into details about that now.

More atheism might not be enough

This is written for atheists who have seen the same social problems among atheists, that they've seen in the rest of society; who have concluded that more atheism will not be enough, by itself, to improve the situation; and who are exploring other ways to address social issues, along with trying to help reduce the popularity of religion and belief in God. It may or may not be of interest to other atheists.

I'm practicing and promoting fellowship and collaboration across the widest ideological divides, as part of a solution to our social problems, and just to help improve the world in general. That might make all of our efforts more fruitful in a variety of ways. Besides, for me, that kind of fellowship and collaboration has been worth doing in itself.

If that interests you, please email me, or if you know of anyone who might be interested, please invite them to contact me.