We have an adage by Bard which goes something like:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
But imagine having to go through your life named as "Apple" or "Big toe"(Red Indians must really hate their kids inorder to name them as big toe.!!)or something absurd.!!I know essentially speaking,our identity is much more beyond the concatenation of a few syllables.Infact,understanding that our identity is much more beyond a name and what our identity truly is ,would be more of a spiritual awakening..
But for lesser mortals,who are not yet in the higher spiritual plane,like me,name does hold a lot of prominence in our life..I mean for heaven`s sake,it is my damn identity!But strangely,such an important thing which in a way shapes our life and decides who we turn out to be is something which have absolutely no say in!These days parents say that they support their kids in every decision they take and wouldn`t want to influence their offspring`s life.But come to think of it,they unknowingly decide what their kids turn out to be.Not just by instilling life values and morals but by just naming them.!As soon as you hear a name,you get a mental picture of a person..Say,I hear of someone called:'Martin',the first thing which comes into my mind is banker..Martin the banker.!Or say,"May flower",then the first thing that comes into the mind is guitarist in an Indie Rock band or perhaps a tarot card reader or even a psychic..But definitely not a Quantum Physicist!
So i guess,in a way,a name does influence what we want from our life.I guess,your sub conscious mind gets tuned to choose certain paths,as you keep responding to being called by a particular name.
Do you think,The Bard would have come up with this popular line from Romeo and Juliet if he was not named William Shakespeare?..
