There is truly meaning in a name.
Jason in Greek means “Healer.” I looked up the significance of it a few short years ago. The word healer I took to mean someone who helps, and brings hope. In my most prideful self-aware moments, I took this as being a “savior” or “hero” of some kind. It wasn’t until reading further into it I learned that a healer is actually an incredibly humbling lifestyle—one that isn’t about me at all.
My fancy iPhone dictionary defines healer as: “bringing to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile.”
This means more to me now, having known myself a little longer.
It helps to explain why I analyze so much—I need to know “why?” I fight for it often, and it’s the thing that occasionally sidelines me from going about my life worry free.
Being the intermediary in almost every situation I’m put in, I need resolution. I can’t stand unresolved movies. In music, my ear naturally wants to resolve melodies and pen complete lyrical sentences. I enjoy simplicity, because frankly it’s the easiest shape to manage. My writing pages are all white, because it’s the simplest color to build substance on. So on and so on—my nature is to organically land on what is right. Every time. Without disruption. Period.
It’s also why I believe I’m in the middle of many things in my life. People especially. I seem to fall somewhere near the equilibrium on Left vs. Right arguments. Something in me always wants to see both sides, and answer in a way that everyone gets. For reasons on false security, I try at times to compare my life and success to someone else’s, just to see how it could pan out for me (see reason 1 for why do such things). I want always to be understood. I care sometimes too much about how people perceive me, because I need to make sure they get the purpose of what I do.
…
I say all that to say this.
To have a name means to have a purpose. The Creator of this life allowed us to take on a name, much like He allowed us to take on dreams and desires and even failures. All roads point back to Him in the end. If we’re looking for clues as to why we’re made this way; the name by which we’re called is a good start. It won’t explain everything, but as a book is best paraphrased by it’s title, so are we then as people. Defined not by others, but by the one who created us. The rest may be blanks for us to simply fill in as we go.
-Jason O’Toole
memoir.jasonotoole.com
What does your name mean, and how does it relate to your life?
(Source: memoir.jasonotoole.com)
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