Label earned, labels accepted

The label of doctor is earned. So is that of a mechanic. In this culture, when money is exchanged, it is usually handed to an expert with that title.

Most of us don’t squirm at the label of parent or sibling. They are inherent if you qualify.

But then we hesitate when we are called funny, artist, or great leader. Because the bar isn’t set on what those things mean. And so we “earn” these titles in the common language of economics (i.e., money exchanged).

What we have to divorce and separate is this hold money has in our everyday language.