Names have always been significant. Our names represent everything we are and will be the first thing that people think of when they think of us. Some people choose their name, most of us do not. The importance of having an identity cannot be overstated, but at the same time it is something that everyone knows without having to say it at all.
One’s name has a way of making itself manifest in some way, shape or form to varying degrees. That means that whenever you here about people with certain names being generally a certain way, there’s actually something to it. However, it’s not as if two people with the same name cannot be polar opposites.
For most people, names have a most mundane value, at best. There are cases when a name can be what serves as the catalyst for profound and substantive change. If you ever encounter an entity that is(for all intents and purposes) a force of nature, take note of the name and/or epithet that it goes by.
For example, someone who likes being called the “destroyer” will likely have some sort of destructive quality about them. That can mean destroying entire worlds or simply the mood of any room. It depends on both who and what you are talking about. One thing is for certain, names are significant to one extent or another in that way.
Some people change their names. In such cases, the names obviously take on an aspirational quality. It means whatever that person wants it to mean. For better or worse, such people have a specific reason for wanting to be known by another name. They might want to escape the past or hope for a better future, or both.
How seriously one takes a name depends on the individual in question. You may ask yourself how much that particular person values their reputation, or how much their actions line up with their words. Is that person that you are thinking of someone whose opinion is of no consequence?
How long it takes someone to establish their name depends on several factors. The first of which is obviously the scale of that person’s life as well as the intention therein. Are they someone well known, or is obscurity their bedfellow? If a person’s name is not well known, the meaning of that name takes on an esoteric or subjective value.
How and why you choose to value your name and those of others is entirely up to you. That is especially true if the discussion is of no consequence. There’s that word again. What will they say about you when you are dead? Will it be a life worth remembering or will it be trending topic for a day or two on social media before everyone forgets?
Perhaps it’s hard to imagine a world where truly important subjects don’t end up on social media or search engine results. In this day and age, seemingly every relevant topic is discussed publicly for all the world to see. Is that really the barometer for importance? All of this simply begs the question. What’s in a name?
