Comments on: What is the Name That is Big Enough to Hold Your Life?

By: Romi Rancken

Romi Rancken — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:18:58 +0000

I was named Rolf Mikael when I was born, but my parents started to call me Romi from the beginning. When I was 35 I changed my name officially to Romi – Rolf Mikael had never been me.About two years ago when I during a sabbatical had the opportunity to take a step back and look at my 25 year long career as a college teacher, I came to the conclusion that I have to mentally identify myself as not a part of the school system, but as a “pedagogical entrepreneur”. Then I came up with a word that helped me rebuild my approach to what I do for a living: “Romiversity”. Universities are for both teaching and learning and that’s what I do all the time (actually more learning than teaching). I have built my own websites instead of using the LMS of my college. If I need a book or an audio recorder to develop my courses I buy it myself with my own money, I don’t want to ask permission from the administrators an try to convince them that it’s important.This concept of Romiversity can be seen as extremely individualistic but it has made me happier person and probably a better teacher, colleague and networker. I now have a name for my node in the educational network. But I never use that name among other people – you are the first to hear about it :-)Dave, your “Daversity” (that’s nice, implies diversity as well) has been important for me, thanks!

By: Jim Camasto

Jim Camasto — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:48:04 +0000

A World Of Improvement. That’s what I “named” my local repair/restore/paint/install enterprise of one. After fouling out of corporate landfill engineering, more than a decade ago… I still do a few patent design drawings (for others); perhaps now more solar consulting/networking; all family house/auto maintenance/repair…Racquetball. Tribalism. Self directed learning. Alternative energy. Community. Drumming. Networking. Biking. Local/Organic/Emergent. It all still fits…

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:48:24 +0000

On one hand, I hesitate to assign myself a name to be put in a box. Even a very large box is still a box. Even though if I were to pick a title, I would ensure that it carried potential for change, openness and growth, it would still enable others to pre-judge and decide what I am or am not interested in, capable of, or experienced in. There is a genuine curiousity that can be fostered when we must engage in dialogue to understand another complex being. It is this curiousity and capacity to connect that will bring our world to better places. It is a security that is found within oneself and that does not require external validation. This security then furthers our capacity to welcome and accept the unknown and unfamiliar, a loss of the “need to know”. A name or title allows people to predetermine if we would be able to connect or not, while it is likely that our common ground (which can be found between any two beings) is not included in one’s title/name. On the other hand, there is pride and ego associated with a title and it is incredibly challenging to exist humbly and nameless in our ego driven world.

By: Paris

Paris — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:07:35 +0000

My parents gave me a nice firstname meaning “king of peace”, I think I don’t another one:I like cooperation over competitionI like dialogue and compromise over hierarchy and fightsSo it suits me.

By: EJ

EJ — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:54:54 +0000

studentLearning until the day I die, I hope

By: Jon Husband

Jon Husband — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:07:52 +0000

Jon

By: Ben Milner

Ben Milner — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:24:13 +0000

Firstly I just wanted to say thank you. Over the past 5 years or so that I have been reading your blog you have definitely helped me to imagine the possibilities of a better world.It seems like what you are talking about with a meta-name is trying to set a holistic goal for the self. Something I have been thinking about quite a bit recently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holistic_management#The_Holistic_Management_FrameworkThe real value then comes when you use your holistic goal (or meta-name) to weigh up your actions, activities and decisions to "determine whether or not they will help reach the established holistic goal"I feel like this is a really useful tool to help us actually achieve what we are aiming to do effectively, whilst avoiding doing things that are distractions. However in terms of actually defining my whole life with a goal or a name I don

By: John Graham

John Graham — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:29:42 +0000

Darn, misquote there – “I was the walrus, now I’m John” – no “Once”.

By: John Graham

John Graham — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:25:50 +0000

I like to believe that I have a ‘real’ name, but I’ll never know it – that’s marvel-lous enough for me. Anything I come up with would be a category, or a reference. Not only that, but every other centre-of-sentience has a name too. Not each species of duck, but each actual duck, each actual bacteria. There’s something I don’t know how to do without using the word God, or at least G-d, and that is to sit and look out (at the lake or from this library computer), realising – “G-d knows all those names…”…wow. Ah! “Christ plays in ten thousand places” – Gerard Manley Hopkins (via Eugene Peterson)And then,”Once I was the walrus, but now I’m John”That’ll do.