Some people name their kids after the Lord. Both boys and girls are christened with godly names, like Dominic or Dominique. The gall these people have to call their kids God. I understand people wish for their offspring to be perfect — almost god-like, but shouting, “Dominic, come here this minute,” is a little like telling God to come in a hurry. 

That would be like praying, with the difference that Dominic might come, while God is by far too busy elsewhere, creating and killing dogs, trees, people, etc. That is a good reason for not naming your offspring after gods. You never know what they’ll do next.

Key of Solomon – Magic Circle

So much better to name your kids after natural, real things, such as Hazel, Ash, Bear, Lily, Coral, Spark, or Ember. No hocus-pocus is involved—just plain nature and nature presents us with all the mysteries and wonders one may wish for. I don’t need any more mystery than I encounter daily while searching for truths, and items I misplaced, or mysteriously disappeared.

Ember

And if you are looking for something celestial in the naming of kids — what about calling them after a star? Stella, Astra, Leo, Alya, Esther, Castor, you name it. There are billions of stars, speeding through outer space and pining to have babies named after them. 

As usual, I am addressing this to the elderly, people who are likely to have kids or grandkids in need of a little help with the naming of your grandkids or, as in my case, great-grandkids. Not that it is likely your suggestions will fall on willing ears. To be honest, I have not been very successful in this regard. I have three grandsons and they, or was it their wives, chose to disregard my sensible suggestions. Very disappointing. Yes, just recently, some new members of the Thorbecke clan arrived in Switzerland, and your felicitations are very welcome. Unfortunately, it almost seems as if young people are endowed with a little less common sense these days. 

 During our child-bearing days we always, and without any doubt or hesitation, named our kids after living or deceased family members. We did not get silly books with titles like Nice Names for Modern Children, or Google, “What should I call my baby?” to find inspiration. A firstborn was named after someone in the father’s family, and the second one after an ancestor of the mother. Traditional, if not quite fair, as that should be determined with a toss-up.

The fact that a newborn is new and novel, is not a reason for naming her accordingly. You could call your baby Spick and if you had twins, Spick, and Span. Other suggestions are Current, Latest, Recent, and Novo. Excellent names for dogs, by the way. You might get the impression that I am behind the times, and you would be right.

The Great Dictator

And while speaking of “our” times, what mysterious force is driving working people, in countries all around the world, to vote against their own best interests? What Abracadabra persuades them to vote for dictators, such as Mussolini, Saddam, and you-know-who?

Please check out my previous post at: https://ups-and-downs-of-old-age.com/is-this-the-winter-of-our-discontent/

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