What's In A Name?
The power of designation
Throughout my life I have been fascinated by the concept of 'names,' and why we are so obsessed with them. The recent doxxing of the individual behind the 'Libs of TikTok' [LoT] Twitter / X account, however, really got me thinking about the power these designations of ours hold, and how said-power manifests.
For those unfamiliar with the example above, a particularly nasty individual discovered the legal name of the individual behind the LoT account, and not only released said-name but then repetitively - with spiteful intent - used it publicly.
She was doing so in a attempt to silence LoT, to exert control and establish dominance over someone with whom she disagreed... only by the power of the name. A vile action, to be certain, but a case study nonetheless regarding how our designations are very much a source of power.
A power which should be respected.
In truth, names always have had this power. The models which prove this are varied and absolute.
For example, in ancient cultures a child would oft be granted two names by their mother: A name that everyone used to talk to and about them, and their ‘true’ name that only the mother knew. This was believed to protect the child from ‘evil spirits,’ for if such entities did not know a child’s ‘true’ name they could not harm them.
But we do not have to travel back into antiquity - nor explore the mystical realms - to see examples. Take, for instance, a once popular, historically-recent phrase, spoken (usually with offended indignation) when someone used your name but you did not know theirs: “You have me at a disadvantage.”
Now why would someone knowing your name when you do not have the same information about them put you in a compromising position? Because names have power, on a very primal level.
Do you think I am exaggerating? Try working a retail job where you have to wear a name badge, and note how customers will use your name with authority. They KNOW they have you at, ‘a disadvantage’; you can tell they are trying to overrun you, attempting to manipulate you, and they are doing so with just the knowledge of your name.
If you are still unconvinced, consider for a moment modern relationships. How many times have you been ‘renamed’ by a loved one? We call them ‘pet names,’ and they are normally harmless - even beneficial - when voluntary, for such names can help create a unique bond between the two people involved.
In malevolent situations, however (both within and without romantic relationships), such renaming can also serve to covertly establish dominance or even ownership, a situation which never ends well for the renamed.
There are other instances to consider, too. Nicknames conjured from situations good and bane, or the bestowing of a new name after a spiritual ritual… assuming the surname of a spouse after being wed, applying a new 'alias' to self for artistic or literary purposes, and many more scenarios - powerful, life-altering actions in every case.
From this area I will provide one final example: Me. ‘Stone’ is not my legal, birth name, and people in the physical world seldom refer to me by that designation. Based on a nickname from my youth, I adapted and adopted that name for myself, to use in my writing and for online communications, nearly 25 years ago.
It is not my 'government-sanctioned name,' but it has become me now… the true ‘me.’ And it makes me uncomfortable when people refer to me by my given name, for it feels like they are talking to a stranger; I am now simply, 'Stone.'
Perhaps it is time to honor the power in names, with virtue and thoughtfulness - to protect your own, and to respect the choices of others. To my shame I have not always done this, but my actions before were out of ignorance; with this understanding, I no longer have any excuse.
That having been said, honoring one’s desired designation does not, in any way, defy basic biology. As mentioned above, the energy found in names is intangible (and thus malleable), while physical attributes such as sex are very much tangible and immutable. You can respect the energy in someone’s chosen name without capitulating to the Globalist ideology of gender-spectrum politics.
Along those lines, I never want to be someone who uses another's name to manipulate or control. Only insecure, toxic individuals deliberately make such choices, and their lives oft end up in misery and despair.
As I ever wish to live within Natural Law (a part of which being 'what one sends out will return to them'), I need not those negative vibes saturating my sphere. Besides, there is no harm in respecting someone's desire to control their own power - their own 'self' - so being they are not demanding you change your fundamental beliefs in the process.
As such, why not take the path of grace - and of respect - by embracing the power in ‘names?’ Who knows, one day it may just end up benefiting you.
Credit: Special thanks to Raesa, whose proofing skills are very much appreciated.
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Edits [12/16/2023]: Updated photo, cleaned up formatting, added buttons; no written content was altered, save the caption on the updated photo
Well said, sir. And ps….I would have only ever referred to you as Stone…a man of mountainous virtue and intelligence. You are a good man! (And Raesa is a great helper for you too😆👊🏻)
You have brought up something I've never really thought about. That being said, you are correct in my opinion. A rose is still a rose by any other name but we humans do seem to perceive things according to a name.