An Introduction: Thoughts on The Way We Name Things

Source: Tardisio

For months, I’ve been debating about what the subject of my first post ought to be.  I’ve been reading and rereading everything that I’ve written, I’ve deleted and scrapped opening and transitioning sentences, and put more work into crafting a blog post than I almost ever felt I had to do in my 6 years as an English Major.  It took me until quite recently to really put my finger on the source of all this anguish – all of this self-imposed discomfort:

I wanted people to like me.

That is the simple truth of the matter, one that I am only too willing to share.  I wanted people to like me, which is a feeling I have not had in years.  Not since my time at Franklin Academy High School, in fact.  A time where I was the quiet, bookish kid in the back of the class, lashing out at teachers and walking the length of my town and the ones next to it just to get away – a time where I would have done anything to find someone to identify with. 

Which, when all was said and done, I did. 

That’s not really the point, however.  The point is that I sat here, staring at the cold blue light of my monitor for weeks on end, reading the paragraphs above over and over again, trying to impress a bunch of faceless strangers who know less about me than most people who actually know my name.  That is, until I finally realized why:

Because people matter.

 "The way we name things is important, Ma..." - George Saunders, Pastoralia

Something about me that I find very important - I love quotes.  You will almost definitely see quotes all over my blog posts, in images or in paragraphs.  Quotes are like little glimpses of enlightenment - a sort of philosophy that is clear, concise and interesting.  They help me focus what I want to say and put a word or a feeling to it, and that's not always the most simple thing to do.  

When it came right down to making my first post, that was the heart of the matter: putting a feeling to it.  Then I thought, what better way to start my blog than by starting at the beginning - how we name things. 

I think Saunders would approve. 

Putting a Name to Something Important

A feeling is one thing with which we rarely experience the appropriate difficulty in naming.  It is a simple thing to say, 'I am happy,' or 'I am sad,'  or the sometimes more seemingly appropriate, 'I'm pissed!'  It just comes out, and we give it a name like a baby just out of the womb.  Sometimes it is the wrong name. 

I always say, “I hate people.”  Now, let me be the first to clarify: hate is a strong, overused and categorically misunderstood word.  It should not be thrown about carelessly, and it should not be used to characterize an emotion that you do not yet fully understand.  There is too much hatred in this word - more than enough to go around.  Do you really want to be one of those people adding to it?

Hate is a selfish feeling, and I have found that it is very often misattributed to a different emotion - a different reaction to the subject at hand.  I think this subject changes with every instance, but very rarely do we honestly mean that we 'hate' something.  We've just given our reaction that name...that is an important distinction.

What I have come to understand is that I don’t actually hate people – I have a few very close friends, and many more acquaintances For whom I actually care very deeply – I am simply upset that people, more often than not, have not yet lived up to and begun to exhibit their highest potential. I look our into the world, and see so much greed and anger and sorrow that I almost miss the glimmers of happiness, laughter, and joy that peek through the bleakness.  

Almost.

There is always something - some small act - that reminds me of the heights that people can reach when they are not dragged down to the darkest depths.  It is, and will always be, an astonishing realization which leaves me flabbergasted:

People are magnificent creatures.  

I mean that exactly the way in which I said it, by the way.  It doesn’t take much to be a human being – a specific genome, sure, and a particular relationship to a distant ‘monkey’s uncle’ but that’s about it.  It takes a hell of a lot more to be a person, and yet, I see in each person that I meet, a greater potential that begs to be realized – often flaring for a moment here or there, only to die out in the end.  

Ahh, But To Dream...Wouldn't That Be a Sight?

I am a dreamer.  It's true, and I wear that brand without shame.  I think more people should be dreamers.  Dreamers make up the creative side of the world.  Dreamers are the ones who seek out the unknown for the adventure it holds.  They are the ones who shine through the darkness no matter what, and I count myself among them. 

At least I try. 

Too often, it would seem, people are afraid to dream.  It can be scary, for sure.  Terrifying even.  There are those who even take some measure of pleasure in finding those dreamers and stamping out the urge to hope for the hopeless, or reach for the unreachable.  

But I haven't given up hope.

So take a moment today, and every day, and just be a dreamer.  Just for a second.  Realize the potential that you have and bask in its glory.  Name yourself in a way that matters.  After all, you are the only you that there is, and wouldn't it be magnificent to get to know that person?

My name is Christopher R. Severus Perry, and I'm the broken poet. 

It is an absolute pleasure to meet you.