What's In a Name?

Reputation used to be everything. I was speaking to a landlord a while back about how difficult it is to find tenants now a days... mainly because it is a "renter's market" but also because bad credit has become a numbing but acceptable handicap among so many Americans. Having always been on the other end of the landlord/tenant situation I was interested to hear about his trouble filling open apartments with people who would be sure to fulfill their financial obligations. After hearing stories of women who stole air conditioners, potential sex offenders, bad pets and squatters the most surprising and sad quip ended up being about a young couple. They were in their twenties and after handing in their application the young man said "Well, you'll see that we have bad credit, but who doesn't now a days? You almost expect that, right?"

Why was this so sad? I suppose a lot of people do have bad credit in this, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. I suppose a lot of people have lost jobs or fell victim to a major medical-financial crisis. Many Americans who were once living the coveted white picket fence life are now in shabby one bedroom apartments. So then why was this man's comment about the rampant spread of poor credit so sad? He was flippant about it. He was resigned to it. Moreover, his comment reflected a sense of apathy and surrender.

What is in a name? When I was a child I read a play called The Crucible. At the time I thought it was just a story about witches and puritans. It wasn't until I was an adult, visiting Salem, Mass. that I reread the play and learned that it was actually meant to respond to the madness and mass hysteria of the McCarthy hearings. The play was an indictment against ignorance, malicious prosecution and corrupt politicians. It was also a brilliant look into the subject of integrity.

One of the most poignant scenes of The Crucible is in Act IV, when the main character John Proctor begs and refuses to sign his name to a false confession. Signing would save his life. He would then avoid being hanged. As he puts pen to paper he realizes that he simply cannot. When asked why he would not sign he says "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"

A name used to mean something. Business's lasted for years under the credibility of names. That's where the whole concept of credit originated! The idea was that well, you can't pay now but your name is good and this bank backs you, so you can pay later. Remember checks? Almost no one writes them anymore. I remember as a child going to the supermarket and seeing bad checks posted on the register. There it was, ugly and red with ink and a Non-Sufficient Funds stamp; showing everyone in town the degenerate's name and address. Even as a child I thought this was so shameful. My fear of having my name associated with this scandal, with the red ink and blurry stamp, kept me from writing those bad checks as an adult.

This is not to say that bad things don't happen to good people. There's a lot of talk about second bathrooms and lavish spending. There's also a lot out there about the stock market, the housing market, the housing bubble, the hyperinflation of home values, the absolute loss of reason by the insurance industry, and all of that's valid. All of it contributed and somewhat caused our crisis. Accountability alone does not save us or get us ahead. Newspapers and news programs are filled with stories of people who are simply down and out because they are cursed with dealing with the mere burden of their own humanity. The simple act of living is not even cost-effective to some!

What do we make of them, those people who have absolutely hit rock-bottom? Are they allowed to indulge in self-pity and apathetically declare their name void of integrity? Not necessarily. Many homeless shelters ask the homeless to participate in something called "pride chores". These are small chores that help upkeep the shelter facility while allowing those asking for help to feel that they are giving back and in essence paying for their stay. This way they are not just taking a handout. They are not beggars. They keep their name and with it a dignified chore for a good night's sleep.

Man is nothing without work, and a man's name is nothing without the merit of labor. This is why we have the ability to build. It is truly, one of the greatest things that separates us from all other living things. It is sad then, that many have given up the idea of building a strong name for themselves. Integrity is everything. In death, those things we bought with credit cards, that house, that white picket fence; they all go. They are all divided up or sold. Our titles are assumed by those waiting in line to assume them. Our clothes become dust and our bodies turn to ash but our names are forever.

A name is the one and only permanent mark an individual can leave upon this Earth. It is etched into limestone or perhaps just logged into a book in a coroner's office. Regardless of when and where it was last spoken it exists, timeless, and with it exists all the notoriety, strength, fragility or character one chooses to bury beside it.