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Mountain Goat
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10 Nov 2019, 4:05 pm

I had a school friend who used to ask "Who is your name?" (I say school friend. For the first few years he was a real bully. But then later we became best friends. And then later he changed as he had a new friend ad they turned on me. Then we kept friends but more general friends... And he is one of the few people who has kept in touch since we left school. I tend to not see him and then I will see him once or twice a year... And then not see him for a couple of years again... I won't say we are close. But I very much appreciate him calling in and I don't have any other school friend who has done that.

But apart from the history.... He used to ask "Who is your name?" I would say my name, and he used to say "Not what is your name? Who is your name?"
Though we were young when he asked that and he thought it was funny to ask... But with me re-evaluating everything in my whole life...
Well, his question all those years ago is very profound and somehow appropiate to how I feel today.

And when I think of the qusstion, I try to think deeply but can't. I start to go deep but then my mind stops like an elevator stops... and I reverse back up a bit just to get out of mindblank stage and my imaginative mind kicks in with a robotic voice from the 1980's saying "DOES NOT COMPUTE!"

So do I have any answers? No. Who am I? Such a deeep question! And "Who is my name?" Well. Names have meanings don't they?



Juliette
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10 Nov 2019, 7:19 pm

Such a "Sense of Self" framing of who and what you are... Probably not as complex as it may seem? Some people are not as self-aware as others, and may struggle with their "Sense of Self". I view "my work", meaning all that I do, all that I create, all that is in my life because of what I have done with my life, "me". Simply put .... "I am my work. My work is me." At least, that has long been my personal view for the past 15 years, ever since I realised a few things about myself. :) I don't like hearing my name, so I shorten it, funnily enough. My name doesn't feel like "Me" for some reason, as no-one calls me by by real name. Would make me feel awkward. You have a very nice, though unusual name, and I wonder how you feel when people call you by your real name? Does it make you feel at ease, comfortable? Do you prefer a nickname eg MG etc?



Mountain Goat
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10 Nov 2019, 7:23 pm

On sites like this I do not use my real name. Everyone would know how famous I am. :D



Juliette
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10 Nov 2019, 7:25 pm

:P ...



naturalplastic
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10 Nov 2019, 9:51 pm

"Who is your name?' could be interpreted as meaning "who are you named after?"

So if you're named "John Smith". you could say your name is 'St. John' combined with some mideaval bloke centuries ago who was my ancestor who hammered out horse shoes over an anvil for a living."