THE POWER OF A NAME - by Jefferson Nnadiekwe

What is your name? Say it out. Now imagine, really imagine yourself without that name. It feels strange, right? A little odd too. You may even feel incomplete. Why would a word or the absence of it make you feel incomplete though? A name isn't just a word. It is your identity. It is a huge part of what makes you who you are. It is that thing which helps human interaction better - imagine a conversation with your friends, if you all did not have names to identify each other with. A name is the most important step in turning strangers into friends. When you do not know a person's name, there is an air of mystery which surrounds that person; no matter how often you see said person. When you get to know a person's name, you feel like you know that person a little bit more. Other levels of human interaction follow after this. Back in school, there was a particular girl I was crushing on, from a distance; whose name I did not know. She was always the mystery girl. One day I got to know her name, and it felt like the first barrier had been brought down. That is the effect of a name. Our names are the first things we know about ourselves. A toddler knows nothing about himself, but would always respond to his name. He knows that is his identity. Even our pets. A dog would not respond to any other name, except his, which it has come to know as an identity. Using and remembering someone's name denotes a measure of connection, and respect. Giving out our names to someone, requires a little bit of trust. If we do not trust another person, or like them, we do not give out our names to them. We do not give them the pleasure of that first connection. There is no denying, we feel a bit of annoyance when someone we do not like, knows and addresses us by our name. It feels like that individual has breached our personal space. The power of a name cannot be overstated. A name is an authority on its own. Nigerian rapper M.I in his 'viper' diss track acknowledges the power of a name in the line; 'I swear by my name, because there's no higher authority...'. It is precious, and an everlasting gift. We ought not to be ashamed of our names (I know some people are), because that is like being ashamed of your entire individuality. A name is something we should wear with pride, it is your tag of identity. Now playing: 'Cheers theme' by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo.

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