I don’t answer to my slave name – Blog No. 42

I saw this today, written on a photo of Mystique from the X-Men.  It made me think and I think it should make us all think.  What – exactly – is in a name?  And what of every slave of old who was forced to carry his ‘owners’ surname as his own?  The families of those slaves still carry those names and I would imagine that they’d appreciate knowing their true heritage and the actual heritage of the name they hold.  I am not sure whether any of those slaves’ families ever considered themselves to be anything other than what they were to begin with but with the advent of labels many things on this planet changed.  Another thing that concerns me, how many of those slaves remembered to tell their grandchildren their real names?  Sadly, I am sure that many didn’t.  That is why DNA is so important – it can find us all our roots.  It cannot perhaps give original ‘names’ back to lost families, but it can make amends to their hearts.

Children need to understand where they came from.  And why.  If grandparents had to flee their homes and settled elsewhere for reasons of safety, then the family must remember that.  Therein lies great trauma that was probably never addressed.  That is what concerns me now about the Syrian refugee crisis.  That same basic terror is being perpetuated.  Myriad children are learning that the world which ‘houses’ them is not a safe place to be, nor is it filled with much humankindness.  That – for any child – is absolutely terrifying.  Children need three basic things – something to eat, a safe home in which to live, and to know that they are loved.  If as a parent you can provide for your children even one of those gifts, it is a good start.  When you can offer your children none of those – why have children?  And saying ‘I love you’ to a child – or anyone in fact – without any real sentiment carrying the words does not convey to them anything other than a lie.  If you will lie to your child – why have one?

It is important to know that a lot of people that live in sunny countries have a vitamin D deficiency.  This is because they wear too much sunscreen.  Go into the sun in safe hours and supplement your system with nature, just don’t sit in the sun at noon without expecting some serious sunburn.  A vitamin D deficiency is not healthy.  Neither is a vitamin B deficiency.  And did you know?  A flame does not have a shadow.  Unless you shine a torch on it.  Then, it might.