The Good Man in the Storm

What's really in a name? We define ourselves by our names, but sometimes their meanings can be unclear. The name chosen for us is important; it put a load on our backs, gives us something to look up to. Dr. Arizona Robbins of ABC's Grey's Anatomy is a prime example. Upon meeting with her girlfriend's father, she tells him, "Most people think I was named for the state, but it's not true. I was name for a battle ship- the U.S.S. Arizona. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and he saved 19 men before he drowned. Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honoring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a good man in the storm- raised to love my country; to love my family; to protect the tings I love. When my father, Colonel Daniel Robbins, the United State Marine Corp, heard that I was a lesbian, he said he had only one question. I was prepared for, 'How fast can you get the hell out of my house?' But instead, it was, 'Are you still who I raised you to be?' My father believed in country the way that you believe in God. And my father is not a man who bends, but he bent for me because I'm his daughter. I'm a good man in a storm. I love your daughter, and I protect the things that I love. Not that I need to- she doesn't need it. She's strong, caring, and honorable. She's who you raised her to be." The people we choose to be are not necessarily the people we'd always imagined we would be. From the minute a person is born, the dreams begin, and they are given a name; a name that means something. The word itself can have a meaning, like Hope or Faith. The name can have a specific meaning, as well. for example, Emily, one of the most common names in today's world, means 'admiring,' and Michael means 'who is like God?' these meanings express what's expected of us in the future; what our parents see in us, and how they wish the world to see us. We can also be names for a person- someone we're expected to live up to.
The truth is that we are not define by our names, or at least the meaning they bring. We define ourselves. Our names have no bearing on who we're raised to be, but they help. Arizona was named for they very ship that made her grandfather a hero, a good man in the storm. Her name gave her a model of values to follow, and that's what names are for. They represent a system of values that we're raised to posses. So the question is not, "what is you name," the question is, "who are you," because, well, with one question, you get one word. With the other, you find a meaning.