What's in a Name

Ask a writer this question: "What's in a name?" The answer most likely will be, "Everything." I believe this, as I've long known the importance of a fitting name as it applies to characters in short stories and novels. Mickey Spillane's hard-boiled detective, Mike Hammer, is a good example. Would the character have enjoyed such popularity with readers had he been named Reginald Witherspoon? No way. The name does not fit the image. So while it's a given that the right name is all important in writing, it has occurred to me that appropriate naming may also play an important part in the outcome of many things. For example, try to imagine our Georgia Bulldogs as the Georgia Poodles or the Atlanta Falcons as the Atlanta Canaries.

Still in this mindset I took the premise one step further. Could a name also play an inadvertent part in other worldly matters such as the fate of nations? I wanted to know and for comparison two nations immediately came to mind. These nations—most likely because of recent events--are the United States and Afghanistan. To Afghanistan a peek at world history reveals that for centuries the area has been a crater for turmoil. Hun forces invaded the country in the year 200; Kabul fell to Arab forces in 664; and a string of battles has littered history's calendar ever since. Yet, and this is the important part, Afghanistan still holds status as a Third World country. The country has the longevity to have succeeded, but they've never managed to acquire the continuity needed for stability and growth as a nation. To the United States, well, we are an unparalleled world power, yet we occupy an area discovered and settled over a dozen centuries after the first-recorded conflicts in Afghanistan. So why have we prospered? Why has Afghanistan faltered? And what does a name have to do with either? With Afghanistan consider that their internal being has long been made up of factions and warlords. Now consider the meaning behind these words. Right. Neither word presents an image of unity, a dire necessity for progress. How about the United States? Yes! No factions there. United implies unity and that says it all.

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To see how strength through unity has played out for our nation, consider that we have fought and prevailed over many enemies since our founding. That we have been united throughout these trying times speaks well to our nation’s resolve, but let’s not forget something else that our people embraced from our founding: GOD. Can such position be measured? To a great extent, yes. In fact, God was mentioned in the first sentence of our Declaration of Independence. However, our reverence of God did not stop with such mentioning. For example: “In God We Trust” first appeared on our two-cent piece in 1864. And because of increased religious sentiment, this phrase was added to all other coinage and currency in 1955. Our Pledge of Allegiance was authored in the 1880s by a Civil War veteran, Colonel George Balch, and in part contained these words: “We give our heads and our hearts to God and our country; one country, one language, one flag.” This pledge has endured revision in the years since. The final revision occurred in 1954 when Congress passed a new bill that added the words “under God,” and, despite occasional legal challenges, the text of the Pledge of Allegiance has remained unchanged ever since. I titled this piece “What’s in a Name” and then provided some examples to back my belief that the right name means everything. With that done I’d like to close with the name that is above every name. What is this name? You can see for yourself in Philippians 2:9 Verse 9 says that God gave Christ the name which is above every name. Amen!