What's in a Name iv

What’s in a name? Well,

I am here to tell you.

Without a name, who then

is to be praised, who then

is to be blamed?

A lifetime is to be denounced

or acclaimed based upon your

name. Who would you or I be

had we gone unnamed?

Well, there you go, just another

Tom, Dick or Harry, just another

plain Jane or proud Mary. As for

me and the rest of you John Doe

or Susie Q just wouldn’t do.

And what would a first name

without the last be to describe

and individualize? A perplexing

dilemma don’t you see? Names

are the game in life, a basis

in our reality.

Now, there are many folks

who bear the same first and

last name. Then we must use

another tag to differentiate us

from others. That’s when a

middle name comes into play.

And when that’s not enough

to distinguish us, perhaps a

number is assigned, ergo

Social Security or a military

service number. The one

issued to me more than 50

years ago was RA 17 699 364,

is a number indelibly embla-

zoned into my brain to this day.

But for you, Christopher or

simply Chris will do. My mother

gave my two brothers a middle

name, but for me she figured

the first and last were lengthy

enough. Lord knows over a

lifetime my first and last name

got me into plenty of trouble

Wikipedia says Christopher is

the English version of a Europe

wide name derived from the Greek

name Χριστόφορος (Christophoros

or Chris-toforos). The constituent

parts are ριστός (Christós), "Christ"

or "Anointed", and φέρειν (phérein),

"to bear"; hence the "Christ-bearer".

Now, I happen to be of Greek descent

so I suppose that makes sense. Mother

may have been right about not giving

me a middle name. And the Greek

definition of Christ-bearer is way

over the top for the likes of me.

Simply Chris can be considered a

girl’s name as well. And It would be

unsafe to divulge my Social Security

Number publicly. So, in order to be

spot on (if you must), RA 17 699 364

will suffice. As far as I know that nom-

enclature applies to the one and only me.

Either that or you can just point your

finger and say, that’s him, he’s the one.

                            -30-

Chris Hanch 12-19-2022