On Naming

Life is, in some sense, a process of connecting one's name to one's self. We don't name ourselves; rather, our names are given to us and serve as a constant reminder of our situation--we are named by our parents, who represent our social context. Naming implies an ownership and possession and connecting ourselves to our names implies a realization of our own limitedness, connectedness and of that fact that we are owned. The first man was named by God; through this, we know that our name points not only to our connectedness and duties to the physical world external to us, but also to the truth that transcends that.