"It is not the ctitic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

~Theodore Roosevelt

Friday, March 5, 2010

A Name

Quote that has nothing to do with the rest of the post:

~"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."
~Henry Ford

It amazes me how your parents can pick a name for you before you are born and it seems to fit perfectly. Most people I can't imagine having a different name. Yes, I know I am used to them going by a certain name but when I meet new people and hear their name for the first time, it just fits. Sometimes I don't realize I know several people with the same name. Actually, going through the contacts on my phone and my friends on Facebook, there are a lot I didn't realize until just now.

I am friends with 5 Jessica's on Facebook. And yet they are all so different it doesn't seem like they have the same name. I can't imagine what it's like to know someone with the same name as you. I have never met another Bergan, though I have heard people say they know people with my name. Really, I enjoy the fact that my name is unique. Yes, people say it wrong a lot. In fact, there was a girl once who called me 'Burgundy' for two days. That was back in middle school when I was too shy to correct her.

Someone knowing your name gives them a lot of power over you. I know this sounds weird but we talked about it in my Literary Criticism class last semester. When someone says, "Hey you!" you can ignore them. When they use your name, this is much more difficult. Not only that but it sounds more sincere when they use your name. It means they know who you are, more than just recognizing your face. Have you ever noticed how people react differently when you call them by name? I've seen it and experienced it.

A name means a lot, it really identifies a person. Not only that, but a name brings to mind a certain image and feeling; just like saying 'sunshine' automatically makes you feel happy. A name has a reputation and it comes to define you. People joke around saying, "That's my name, don't wear it out!" But maybe it's not bad to 'wear it out' if it is positive, if it is used greatly.
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1 comment:

  1. Windthicket FablesMarch 26, 2010 at 10:13 AM

    Bergan, you have some excellent blog fodder, and I'm going to steal some of your writing prompts. I am ashamed to admit my jealousy of you- you are an excellent writer, and I think you're better than me.

    In 7th- 9th grade I had a teacher (science all 3 years AND home room for 9th) who every single day called me Brea (Bree-ah) and I would answer and say "It's Brae" (BRAY) and he would do it again the n ext day. Somewhere in 8th grade I stopped answering and mom and dad got a call from the school that I was missing the class. I wasn't. I was just tired of being called Brea and correcting him. After that, I just answered "here."

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