Day 231 (Two-Hundred & Thirty-One) of 275 days
Everyone has a name. Nearly everyone who has a name knows what it is. Our name is as familiar and as close to us as our skin; indeed, we are frequently aware of our name than we are of the unique living body that it identifies. We write it, speak it, answer to it often, immediately, surely, unreflectively. We generally take our name for granted. But, for these reasons, in a deeper sense, we may not really know our name—what it means, why we have it, how it should be regarded and used. Paradoxically, by dint of being so familiar, the manifest mystery of our named identity may have become invisible to us. We name ourselves and others, but do we know what we are doing when we do so?
God’s naming clarifies, delimits, bounds, shapes, and makes intelligible. Like the creation itself, which proceeds by acts of speech (which are in turn always acts embodying and producing separations), these acts of naming bring order to chaos, the discrete to the continuous, definition to the indefinite, shapely and recognizable form to the merely qualitative. What, then, is the case with our proper names, our names, the names we carry throughout our lives? Are they merely arbitrary and conventional handles that serve simply to designate and uniquely pick us out of a crowd? Or do our names, like those given by God, have the power to shape our lives? Which passions do and should govern acts of naming: When we name, do we express desires for ourselves or hopes for the future of others? Is it a matter of substantial indifference to what we are called, what we call ourselves, or what we call others?
The first gift of parents to a child, after the gift of life itself, is its name. Like the given life it names, the given name is a gift for a lifetime-indeed, for more than a lifetime; when we are gone, our name carved in stone and the memories it evokes will be, for nearly all of us, all that remains. Here is a gift that is not only permanent but possibly life-shaping. Here is a gift that cannot be refused; here is a gift that cannot easily be put aside; here is a gift that must be worn and that straightway not only marks but constitutes one’s identity.
On what basis does one select a gift, especially a gift of such importance? Generally speaking, one gives gifts that one thinks someone will like and appreciate, or one gives gifts that one thinks will be fitting and suitable, or one gives gifts that one thinks will be helpful and good. But in the gift of a name, even more than with other gifts to the newborn (as clothing or toys), one has no idea whatsoever which name will prove likable, which name will prove suitable, which name will be helpful to the human being who, at the time of naming, is virtually unknown and unknowable, and largely pure potentiality. The awesome mystery of individuated human life announces itself in this nameless and unknowable stranger, who must nonetheless be called by a proper name. Faced with our invincible ignorance, we parents are forced to consult our own thoughts and feelings, though, it is to be hoped, without in the least forgetting the future welfare of our child. Though we necessarily will be moved by what pleases or suits or inspires us, we do well when we remember that it is the child who must live with and live out the identity we thus confer upon him or her.
Why is it so important to use people’s names? A person’s name is the greatest connection to their own identity and individuality. Some might say it is the most important word in the world to that person. It is the one way we can easily get someone’s attention. It is a sign of courtesy and a way of recognizing them. When someone remembers our name after meeting us, we feel respected and more important. It makes a positive and lasting impression on us. To not remember a name, especially when someone has had to repeat it several times, is to make that person feel slighted.
Names matter a lot. Just like people judge a book by it’s cover, they judge an idea, company or whatever by the name. The right name for your idea matters a lot. The right name for your article or blog post matters a lot. The right name for your domain matters. The right name for your company can make or break your company, or give you a huge advantage in the market. The right name can help you rise above the sea of sameness, and transcend the sea of mediocrity. The right name can be a great label so that everybody can refer back to the same thing, the same way, and know what you are actually referring to, or talking about
A person’s name is the doorway into their world; a person’s name has the power to open a connection into their world, a connection to show them who you are, a connection to pass your feelings of that person through and a connection to show them how you see them. A person’s name has power over them, more than you might think, but always remember they know your name too.
Names are a big key to your personal and professional effectiveness. When you change the name, you change your game.
