in brief

it's so incredibly odd that we accept the names we are given at birth, and go through the rest of our entire lives with something as personal as a name that has given to us by people who don't know a damned thing about us at the time.

i love my name, so this isn't a personal issue.

i was thinking of people who have names that 'don't fit' them at all. or odder still would be the ones whose name DOES fit them. good guess by the parents? or do we grow into our names?

well, names make a difference. I'm sure i've always felt 'different' because of my name. my individuality was probably developing earlier than other peoples.

still, think of all those people who don't particularly like their parents, who still honour their parents by keeping the name for the rest of their lives (although i guess if one lives a life of dishonour, it could be theoretically construed as punishing the parent).

but the next time you're standing on a street corner, surrounded by humans, look around at them all, and imagine that some of them have names that fit, and some don't, and try to think of what their names are - and then think - not one of those people had a damned thing to say about that name, and yet it shapes them. it's funny to me. i'm looking at an imagined 'helga', and thinking, damn.

we could change our names, of course. and it's happening more and more. i just read somewhere how a taxi driver named michael goldberg was killed in new york city - and he was an east indian who thought that everyone in new york was jewish (as do much of the muslim world). of course, bob dylan and dustin hoffman and william morris are proof of... something. racism? or fear of racism?

it's not really worthy of a post, but i found it bizarre that there isn't more emphasis put on changing your name. why is there no business that offers to 'help you be a winner', 'get laid fast', and 'get the money you deserve' by changing your name to that winner name, statisically proven to be a high wage earner, etc. etc.

in fact... i quit my job, and dub ye all michael golbergs. you all owe me $200000, a small price to pay for such an incredibly important life factor.