thoughts on the news of the day: name game

hmmm…..

            The 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest attracts thousands of imaginative and amazing photos from around the world each year.  The entry deadline is November 30 so you still have a few more days to submit your work.  There are three categories that you can submit photos for:  people, places and nature.

            One of the photos submitted this year is called “Salvation: Appreciate Life”; another is titled,”Unsafe Journey”.  Still another is named, “Haunting Glimpse”.  The titles are almost as compelling as I would imagine the photographs are.  Naming things gives them ownership and identity.  Like the characters in the old Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue” we place meaning on the names we give our children, our pets and even inanimate objects like cars. 

            Most of the names in the Bible have meaning. For example, the first name in the book of Genesis, “Adam”, means “earth”.  “Mary” means bitter, “Bethlehem” means house of bread.  Even though I don’t feel very graceful, my name, Nancy, is supposed to mean “grace”.  My daughter’s name, Mary Ellen, is one she has never liked and when she was old enough to speak, she named herself “Mimi” which fits her much better than Mary Ellen ever did. 

            Do we name people mean, selfish, angry, or ignorant?  How about people we don’t even know?  Do we judge them with names before we even meet them?  It’s not really fair.  Maybe we should stop doing that ….

            hmmm…..