On Nomenclature…

I have a confession to share: I truly stink at naming things.  It’s not a simple issue of merely coming up with sub-par names.  Everyone is going to whiff upon occasion with a name, that’s just the nature of the beast.  No, I take it one step further and have analysis paralysis.  I become so obsessed with picking a good name that I end up spending far more time than I should letting things have no name.  And when I do pick one, it’s often a rushed result of the frustrations brought about by the entire process. 

I know, I know.  That sounds… farfetched.  Yet I can provide you with a recent, and very relevant, example.  My wife and I have recently acquired a small kitten.  Barely weaned, cute as a button, she is an inquisitive and loving example of the breed.  We couldn’t be happier with her.  Ostensibly she is my kitten, and as such the job of picking a name falls squarely on my shoulders.  However, we have had her for several weeks, and as of yet I have not even gotten a list of candidates for names picked.  A good friend has suggested General Tso’s Kitten, and I’m honestly considering it. 

I don’t know why naming things has become such an issue for me.  I have a theory though, and in an effort to improve myself, I shall lay it bare for due consideration.  Theorem: I know, deeply and truly, that the name for a thing shapes that things identity.  In the end, words are all we really have to interact with one another and our own thoughts.  Words have power, and meaning both intended and unintended with their use.  Names are even more powerful than that.  Take a moment and think about it: how often do you relate who you are as a person with what you were called by your parents at the moment of your birth?  For myself, my wife had to break the habit of me calling myself “just Justin”.  Just a small example, but it’s true for everything in all phases of our lives.  Racial slurs carry enormous negative meanings, laden with thoughts of marginalizing and degraded human dignity.  These “names” cast casually can rupture relationships and cause significant strife.  To me, the name we choose to call someone or something carries no less consequence, although thankfully without the negatives just discussed.

This has led to rather tricky writing situations, as oftentimes the characters or places as I write are simply labeled “That Girl”, or “City”, etc.  I’m hoping that as I continue the practice of writing and share my struggles, I will come across moments of understanding which can move me past this and other problems.  Growth, personal and natural, is always a painful struggle.  Yet I am very grateful to live in the time that I do, and I am excited to see just how far I can stretch my branches.  There’s an awful lot of sunshine to soak in.