In The Name?

Ummm...Hello, my name is...and I'm an alcoholic. No, thats not true in my case. Although I am constantly reminded that the signs are there. But thats how it goes, isn't it? What is in a name? And what is in a label? We all know labels can be dangerous and misleading and should be used carefully and only when necessary - in the case of alcoholics, it's a very good use of the label, as it is necessary to come forward and confront your problem.

But what about the names? We introduce ourselves and we say our name and what does our name tell other people? Does it mean more than saying, for instance, I like to play chess? If I told you my name would you know me any better? There are thousands of men with the same first name such as mine. Some names indicate social status - or be completely misleading on that point, others are so original that they indicate something about the persons. I know of a boy who is called Cowchinskyz Labrado Anak Maximillian Anthonius Bana - this is his name and spelt exactly like that. And what about that person who has an exclamation mark in his name. But they rarely indicate anything real about you, except for nicknames - and are these real or simply wishful thinking?.

So why does it matter so much when you don't know somebody's name? I remember back in school, when I had my first crushes on the girls twice my age and I wanted to know their names, even if they didn't mean anything. And I simply couldn't find that out because I was a terribly shy little boy then , I'd make up names for them, so I could mention them properly chatting with my friends. When I grew a bit older I graduated to shouting out random names at them and see if they looked up and I'd guess the name.

Christine!...Jane!...Li Mei!...No?...Cindy!...Crawford!...Shit! Chombi then!...Chommmmbbbiiiii!!!

Yeahhhh...those were the days.