Yesterday, my friend Kortney sent me an excellent essay written by Barry Lopez about how to be with children in nature. It is one of the best things I've read in a long time. It is quite brief, but beautifully written, and goes along with my thoughts about the book passage that I shared yesterday.
I've been thinking some more about that passage, and what it means to give a thing, or a person, a name. In a sense, to name something is to stand in dominion over it. A name says: this is what/who you are, and the giver of the name is the one with the power to declare that it is so. In the ancient Hebrew culture it was strictly taboo to say the name of God. They called him YHWH, which meant something like, I Am that I Am. Names are naturally reductive. On the other hand, they are also necessary. They offer a way for us to distinguish one thing or person from the next so that we may form a relationship with it.
I think the best way to think about names is the way that my friend Kortney suggested in her email to me yesterday. She said, knowing the names of things is only a start, but it is a good place to start i think.
A good place to start.
lovely new place and lovely new name. how i'd love to share a cup of tea with you. i'd even bring the cake!
ReplyDeleteall this talk of names put me in mind of a favorite quote from one of Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea novels:
"Because the name's the thing" he said in his shy, soft husky voice, "and the truename's the true thing."
spells are broken, healing and strength come when your truename is spoken. you remember, you come to yourself when you hear your truename.
so i guess that's the tension we're trying to get at...the difference between a name and the truename.
peace keep you.
Isn't Ursula K. LeGuin wonderful? What a fabulous quote!--"the difference between a name and the truename"; yes, this is the essential thing.
DeleteI would *love* to have you to my house for tea, Kort. I will wish for it :-)
Congratulations on the new weblog. It's lovely :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear friend :-)
DeleteLove the new site. I'll be sure to 'follow' you so I can keep an eye on what you're doing. Miss you so..
ReplyDeleteMy dear Annie, I miss you, too. Thank you for following me...wherever I go!
DeleteLove the name!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about your post from yesterday. I think what the author is getting at is missing the moment for worrying about what we are seeing. Not sure that makes sense...instead of simply enjoying the beauty of the flower or the bird, I worry about what it's name is. Something I'm surely guilty of.
I'm anxious to hear what you think of Wild Comfort.
Marianna, you have wonderful insight. I really like what you've said about missing the moment (being present) with the flower or bird, by worrying about *what* it is. This passage stood out for me, because it is something that I am guilty of, too. When I am out birding with my very experienced brother, my first question is often, "What is it?" His questions go more along the lines of: "Does it have an eye ring?" "Are their wing bars?" "How many notes are in its call?" etc.
DeleteThe passage made me think about people, too. I wonder why it is, that when someone does something new we say it is "not like them" to do it.
Great name!! (I am a little hungry and thirsty) I have been at blogger for over a year and I've liked it. Except when there are "glitches"....but they have been very very few and of course free! Off to save this on my reader :)
ReplyDeleteKaren, I'm so glad that you have come to my new "place". Thank you :-)
DeleteHere's my comment! Looks like it's going to go through! I am happy to meet you at your new place.
ReplyDeleteBrandy, I'm so glad that we fixed the problem, and your comments will go through now! Thank you so much for stopping by :-)
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