The Most Powerful Word in Every Language

There’s only one word that lights up your mind like the Fourth of July.

It didn’t start out like that, though, and the cool thing about it is that it’s a different word for every person on the planet. It can be shortened, expanded, played with, manipulated, and has been used throughout history to bring down empires and overthrow institutions.

What is this powerful word that compels us like no other?

It’s your name.

When uttered in all its glory from first to last, it is likely to fill you with dread or euphoria depending on who says it.

• When it’s the opposite sex, it’s amazing.

• When it’s your parent or spouse, you’re about to get an earful or end up in the doghouse.

• When it’s your kids, you’re about to get very busy cleaning up after whatever disaster event they caused in the living room.

Your name is your first label, your first ascription, your first emblem of your identity. Without it, you are just another cog in the vast network of humanity across the globe. You basically do not exist, just like in the “Men in Black” movies.

Family names, nicknames, given names, handles, aliases, you name it (pun intended), the terms all provide another window into a reality that you define for yourself in which to operate.

So let’s take a look at how it’s linked to history, culture, and expectations and how you can use it to your advantage in this crazy voyage to build your digital heirloom.

What’s in a name?

Stories are the first and most enduring vehicles from which our civilization passed knowledge from generation to generation. Before the development of writing, the clay tablets of the Babylonians, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gutenberg printing press, and the rise of digital technology, oral tradition was the only way for nomadic tribes to transfer their wisdom.

Names of people, objects, places all gave context and structure for a group of individuals to collectively remember the past, relay the present, and inspire for the future. Once language became something set in stone with writing, knowledge became something that could endure beyond adjacent generations.

The Great Library of Alexandria was the server farm of antiquity and was a nexus for all collective knowledge of ancient empires. Now, we have the internet as a massive digital archive to house it all. Billions and billions of names are contained in cyberspace…

• To know the name is to harness its potential power.

• To utter the name of the thing is to have command of it as a whole.

• To invoke the name of a concept to inspire others is to have command of the masses.

As I mentioned before, names have the power to bring empires to their knees. “Deep Throat” shed light on Nixon's Watergate scandal in the 1970s, forcing him to ultimately resign. Steve Jobs revolutionized the way we communicate with the unveiling of the first iPhone back in 2007. Taylor Swift currently dominates the music industry with her reclamation of artistic ownership and her worldwide Eras Tour.

When you hear these names, you can’t help but conjure up images, sounds, and video clips of their effect on society. And that’s all just in your head.

Cultural events such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving are all labels we use for reference to have a shared sense of community and connection with others who observe these holidays. Without a common name, there is no coordination of when decorations go up or come down, how long these activities can be celebrated, or when people should go on a shopping spree every year.

Each of these dates that are labelled have their own expectations as well. You’re on the hook to remember that dinner reservation for Valentine’s Day. Santa brings presents for good kids and coal for bad kids on Christmas Eve. The In-Laws always bring that weird vegetarian dish that somehow goes well with the mashed potatoes and gravy that your wife makes while you slave away on whatever bird you happen to be prepping for Thanksgiving that year.

History. Culture. Expectations.

All of these concepts have their own names for events. Towns, cities, counties, states, regions, and indeed, nations run based on a multitude of identities for government entities responsible for managing to keep everything running and serving those that reside in their borders.

To that end, there is power in changing, reclaiming, or redefining the name of anything or anyone. Recent events are demonstrating this in spades across the world.

You have the power to control your narrative

Regardless of your political sensibilities, the fact that names of people, places and things are in flux right now drive home the point I’m making here.

• New York was once called New Amsterdam.

• Caitlyn Jenner once went by the name Bruce Jenner.

• Trump has recently referred to himself as a king on a social media post.

These changes impact society on a profound and significant level. For good or ill, taking control of a name can steer the collective consciousness of a group of people towards revolution or despair.

Ok, how about an example of the power of reclaiming a name from a fictional perspective? In Tolkien’s beloved trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”, Frodo gradually befriends his guide, Gollum, and encourages him to refer to himself as Smeagol, his true name before the One Ring corrupted him. This lead to an internal struggle between his good and evil identities that would have significant consequences throughout the journey.

How about this example: my full name is a combination of my given name in English (Vince) as well as my full Chinese name given to me by the entire family (Qi An). The full meaning of these two names together roughly translates to “Conqueror of Enlightened Peace”.

Some people like to go by their first name, others go by their middle name, still others simply use a nickname when neither are appealing (or easily pronounced). Krishnendu becomes Krish. Hanqiao becomes Hank, William becomes Billy, etc., etc.

When you choose the names you go by, you are directly taking control of your identity, your presence, and ultimately your destiny.

Chew on this…

I shared my name and its meaning with you. I didn’t fully understand its impact until I started learning Chinese to more depth and asked my parents why they chose my names. My wife and I did the same with our children and gave them English and Chinese names.

Do some digging into the etymology of your name and reflect on whether these discoveries align with your identity. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t feel much like a conqueror, much less enlightened or peaceful these days with the chaos our kids wreak on the house!

Give it a whirl, though. If you care to share what you find, leave your insights in the comments!