A Rose is a Rose

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What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.

William Shakespeare

The world is full of so many different kinds of people there is no way we can ever hope to know them all. We can know of a people, of a group, we categorize by geography. We think we know a people because we know of their country. We think of different ethnic groups and say all people in that group are alike.

Nothing could be further from the truth. As we learn to know people as individuals, we find out each person is unique and special in their own way. After we get to know a person even better, we can no longer classify them by color, race, ethnic group or any other label. They become our friends.

Accepting others really isn’t that hard. Ask a few questions and find out about their lives, and soon we learn we share more commonalities than differences. We all have a mother and a father and those two reference points give everyone a chance to share the joys, sorrows, and history of being a son or a daughter.

We all have youth and mature into old age. The fears and hopes may vary from one person to another, but again, if we take the time to learn about each other, we will find we are all brothers and sisters. When we think of the creation stories from around the world, the commonality is that we are all descended from common ancestors, and we truly are brothers and sisters. Trace back your family history far enough and we are all related. Even people we may not want to be related to are probably closer relative than we may want.

What’s in a name? The sweetest sound in the world. Knowing someone’s name is good indicator of how much we care about them. Do we consider the people who wait upon us as less important? Are those who work in less important jobs than ours less important people? Do we only know the names of our bosses? Why do we worship those who are famous or infamous and repeat their names with reverence to each other? Are movie stars and the wealthy really better than anyone else?

I’ve rubbed shoulders with many people who are household names as famous actors and actresses. They really are just like you and me. I try to explain this to those people I know, and they look at me as if I am from another planet. Don’t I know they are famous? Don’t I know I should quake in the presence of the famous and nearly famous? It really is a strange thing to realize we are all more similar than different, and those who we revere were just in the right place at the right time for an opportunity.

You know what I am talking about even though you want to deny it. There are people in your life who have better jobs, houses, cars, and it’s not because they are more talented, more blessed or more deserving. In fact, I’ll bet you can think of several people you believe don’t deserve the recognition or worldly possessions they have. Did they get those things by being more talented? Perhaps. Were they more deserving, or just lucky? Perhaps. But they really are no different than you or I, even though it seems hard to believe.

Here’s another way to explain what I trying to tell you. Think of those who succeeded in spite of being disadvantaged, disfigured or disabled. Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and even Ralph Lauren. Almost two-thirds of the world’s 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, some were orphans. Think of the success story of J.K. Rowling, the author of the highly successful Harry Potter series. A single mother on welfare can succeed.

We all have so much talent, aptitude and untapped potential there is a future success in every person we meet. How can we discount any one of them as less important, less worth knowing, too insignificant to know their name?

Please don’t tell me you are bad at names. That old excuse is worse than claiming bad luck is the reason for failure. If you really want to know someone’s name and remember it; you will. Say their name to them when you hear it. Use their name as you speak with them. Try to remember, and ask again if you forget.

Or think of it this way. Who was the last person who remembered your name you were unhappy with? They cared enough to remember your name. Can you do the same?

There is an easy way to show you care for someone else. Learn their name.