What's in a Name.

Well... enough of the warm and fuzzy posts. I'm sure you're all sick of them by now. I mean, how many times can you feel all warm inside without needing a break? Don't worry, though. I'm not giving them up altogether, just for now.

Ok... enough of the pleasantries, on with the tale.

A few years ago, I happened to be up in Boise trying to get help from a friend on a legal matter. He's an interesting fellow, and everytime I dropped by his house/office, I always met a new and curious assortment of people. This time was no different.

I quickly got ousted from his computer room for talking, so I went out into the living room to finish the conversation I was having. There was a man there (I'll call him B) that I'd never met before, and I was introduced to him. He was a very pleasant, older gentleman, and I liked him right off. He asked about my troubles, and I told him why I was there. Now when I explain matters such as this, I try to give just the facts and be as clinical as I can so as not to bias the listener. After all, I don't want "yes men", I want straight up answers on whether I'm in the right or not. He quickly assessed the situation and assured me that we were in the right, and that I should prevail.

After that, I was curious about him, so I asked about his life and for the next 6 hours, I learned all about it. He had a very curious name, one that I'd never heard before, but what the hey... there are a lot of names that I've never heard before I actually do. But I semi-digress. He'd led a fascinating life.

He was actually born and raised about 50 miles from where I live. Then he went on to various places, got married to the love of his life, raised a family, and wound up in Lodi, California where he spent some time as a State patrolman, and finally wound up running a convenience/liquor store. To make a long story short, he decided to fight the State of Califoria on making him collect sales tax without compensating him for it, thereby being involuntary servitude, and he beat them. It was at this time that he was advised to leave the country by an attorney friend of his. The attorney said that the State was going to get even by hook or crook, and that he'd highly suggest he leave not just the State, but the Country. So off B went. He called his silent partner and said, "Congratulations, you just bought me out", went home and got his wife, packed the car and moved to Canada.

It was about this time that he inquired if I would answer a couple of questions he had. I, of course, agreed if they weren't too intrusive. He assured me they weren't too bad, and asked me to print my name and birthdate. While I watched, he assigned a numerical value to each of the letters of my name, summed them up, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Thank you very much. That explains a lot to me." He then folded the paper, put it into his shirt pocket, and went on with some story.

"Whoa, now. I can't let you get away with that." I said. "You've got to explain what you just did, and how that tells you anything."

"Oh. Ok. You're schizophrenic. Did you know that? You've got 3 distinct personalities, but don't feel bad. I had 7." he replied, and then went on to tell me what the combinations of numbers told him. He said at it's very essence, your name is who you are. It defines your personality and everything that happens in your life, your experiences, desires, and outcomes. Do you ever wonder why you are the way you are? Why can't you do this or that like other people? Are you a recluse? Do you have trouble with self confidence? Why are you organized and others not? Why are others artistic and you can't draw a straight line? Why are you flypaper for freaks? *coughKTMcough* It's all in your name he explained. I was intrigued, but quite sceptical. He then proceeded to tell me everything about me, my personality, good character traits (strengths), and bad ones (weaknesses). You know the freaky thing? He wasn't wrong. ABOUT ANYTHING! He warned me that he was going to tell me things that no-one knew exept me, and then proceeded to do it. All this after a mere 3 hours of conversation in which he told me about himself for about 2 1/2 of them. It was all in the name.

While he was in Canada, he became introduced to what is called the Kabalarian Philosophy, and he was so fascinated by it, he sold the lodge he had bought and moved down to their headquarters and studied it for years. His original name was quite unbalanced and limiting, so he changed it to the one that he had when I met him. He told me this was such a miraculous change that he couldn't even describe it to me. He just wished he had done it several decades earlier.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with him explaining to me the basics of the philosophy, and also some of the little known things which were very intriguing to me as well. But as the clock struck 6 that Friday evening and we parted company, I was left with a nagging... no... I should say, overpowering desire to hit the website that he'd given me, which I did on Saturday after getting back home. By Sunday eve, I had ordered their course and have since gone through it.

I saw him about 3 or 4 more times after that, but then he left Boise, and our paths have never crossed since. I often think about him, and the impact that chance meeting had on my life, and I'd love to get together again now and visit. But I don't suspect we'll ever cross paths again, and the loss is indeed mine.

I still don't subscribe to all of their teachings, but it has been a very useful tool to me in my dealings with others since that time. It's really a very valuable resource for dealing with you online folk. You see... where we can't see each other, it can be very difficult to read your reactions, and that makes it difficult to avoid uncomfortable situations. Those of you whose names I've gleaned over time, I can usually avoid pushing the "serious" buttons of. Those that I don't know the names of, I can and have gone too far with on occasion. It's nothing intentional on my part, but if I don't know where the land mines are, I can't avoid them.

So... if by chance I happen to ask your name, now you'll know the reasons why.