ejmoosa

What's in a Name?

There was a time where I thought that a child should be allowed to select their own first name at an appropriate age. Names can have a powerful influence on individuals. Witness the research that shows that kids named Dennis are more likely to become dentists than they are any other profession. Or that women named Georgia, born outside of Georgia, are more likely to move to Georgia than any other state. The same goes for women named Virginia. It's too bad that my parents did not name me Kona. And I wonder how many parents are now second guessing their decision to name their child Dakota?

This subject got me thinking about the fact that I have many other names besides my first name. I wonder how much they impact who I am and what I have become. I wonder if others can look at me and see that list of names as defining who I am. So, for the fun of it, I have begun to create a list of names that I have had in my life. Below is a start:

Man
Runner
Patient
Supervisor
Manager
Partner
Co-captain
Captain
Author
Reader
Home Owner
Renter
Driver
Son
Brother
Friend
Confidant
Customer
Client
Investor
Co-worker
Husband
Former Husband
User
Blogger
Cyclist
Libertarian
Republican
Christian
Graduate
Student
Constituent

Driving around with this thought in my head I would have bet the bank that there would be so many more names for me. I may need to have some time to reflect on that. Am I not all that I think I am?

Some of the names can go with one another,while their are some names that you must be exclusively, as I cannot be both a republican and a libertarian at the same time.

posted by EJ @ 10:06 PM